E-waste at the manufacturers gates!
On other end of the spectrum, HP, Lenovo and Dell saw their
scores drop in this edition. Each of these three PC makers has been
awarded penalty points for backtracking on its commitment to
eliminate vinyl plastic (PVC) and Brominated Flame Retardants
(BFRs) from products by the end of 2009.
"It is good to see Wipro making it to the top league," said
Greenpeace India Toxics Campaigner, Abhishek Pratap. "The recent
financial meltdown has not acted as a deterrent for pro-active
environmental management measures at Wipro and we hope this is
sustained over the long term. We expect this initiative by Wipro to
catalyze other electronics brands to take similar measures"
Wipro now crosses the half-way mark under stringent ranking
criteria with a score of 5.5 out of 10 largely due to its support
for global Green House Gas (GHG) reduction and their demand for
energy efficiency law in India. The brand has also scored over its
other Indian counterparts for launching energy star compliant
products in the market, besides adopting better e-waste criteria;
creating public awareness on e-waste management and using recycle
plastics in new production.
HCL falls behind Wipro due to its failure in refining its
commitment on energy and climate criteria. Zenith remains third
after the company reintroduced its chemical phase-out and e-waste
recycling policy. However, the brand has failed to provide
information on GHG reduction and energy efficiency. PCS Technology
with an 'all-nil' score slides down to the bottom in the ranking of
21 global and Indian brands. PCS had withdrawn information from its
website, but restored it later after the lapse of the ranking guide
timeline.
Of the five PC market leaders, Apple and Acer are the only ones
sticking to commitments to phase out these toxic substances. With
the exception of one technical hurdle - achieving certified
PVC-free power cords - Apple has already met its commitment to have
all of its products free of PVC and BFRs by the end of 2008.
So far, Indian PC makers Wipro, HCL and Zenith are sticking to
their PVC and BFR phase-out commitments by 2009 end.
"If Apple can find the solutions, there should be no reason why
the other leading PC companies can't," said Iza Kruszewska,
Greenpeace International toxics campaigner. "All of them should
have at least one toxic-free line of products on the market by the
end of this year."
Apart from Wipro, Philips is another brand which has made a
significant shift since the last ranking, by leaping from 15th to
4th place in this ranking. This is due to the brand's significantly
improved position on taking financial responsibility for the
recycling of its own e-waste. Philips launched its voluntary
take-back service for discarded electronic products in India this
year.
"A commitment to support global greenhouse gas emission
reductions and invest in renewable energy is welcome and a
necessary step forward to mitigate the imminent climate change
crisis. But toxics substances phase-out will remain an urgent
priority, as is shown by the recent cases of e-waste exported to
Nigeria and Ghana" said Pratap. "The best way forward for the
companies is that they should manufacture products that are free
from any kind of toxics substances, energy efficient, easy to
recycle and upgrade", he concluded.
Contact information
Ankur Ganguly, Communications Manager, Greenpeace India, +91.98453.73818 / 
For further information, contact
Abhishek Pratap, Greenpeace India Toxics Campaigner, +91 98456 10749/ 
Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner, +44 7801 212 992/ 
Saumya Tripathy, Greenpeace India Communications, +91 93438 62212/ 
Notes to Editor
1. Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (India) Version 6, can be downloaded at
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/reports/guide-greener-electronics-mar09
2. Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (International) Version 11, is available at http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/reports/guide-greener-electronics-Intl-mar09