"Greenpeace is very pleased with the progress of the electronics
industry, a year ago less than half of the companies scored above
5/10, now they all do (1)" said Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace
International Toxics Campaigner. "There is still a long way to go
for some, but the momentum is extremely encouraging. What is very
exciting is that while the guide focuses on brand leaders, the
improvements can be seen industry wide".
Examples of companies joining in the race to become green
include the computer company ASUS (2), which has made substantial
changes to its environmental policies. In India, the launch of a
ranking guide this summer has led to massive improvements in the
green credentials of the Indian market electronics leaders WIPRO
and HCL (3).
The biggest movers in the latest guide are Sony and LG
Electronics. Both have had their penalty points lifted as they have
left a US Industry Coalition (ARF) (4) which lobbies against
producer responsibility for recycling discarded products. In the
US, Sony has also introduced the most advanced takeback and
recycling programme of any company (5).
"Sony's new US programme to recycle their products for free and
their withdrawal from the ARF Coalition reflect the company's
commitment to Individual Producer Responsibility. It shows real
leadership to see a company with such a wide product portfolio take
this initiative. Sony must now take steps to introduce this
programme globally, doing this will put them well ahead of the
pack" continued Kruszewska.
Hewlett Packard (HP), however, is the only company that has lost
points since the ranking guide was started, for weakening its
support for Producer Responsibility to take back products. HP still
needs to provide concrete timelines for the complete elimination of
hazardous chemicals.
Panasonic languishes at the bottom, as despite launching some
products free from the most hazardous chemicals, they fail to deal
with product waste responsibly. Apple, has not lost points, it has
dropped to 12th position, as with no new action, it has allowed its
competitors to race ahead.
Since the guide was launched, many more products free from PVC
(vinyl) plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are now
available. A year ago, only Nokia and Sony Ericsson sold mobile
phones free of one or both, now Motorola and LGE do too. Sony has
also added a wide range of products including models of the VAIO
notebook, Walkman, camcorders and digital camera that are partially
BFR and PVC free (6) Panasonic lists examples of PVC free products
that include DVD players, home cinemas, video players and lighting,
and two BFR free models of lighting.(7)
Other contacts: Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner +44 7801 212 992 Zeina al-Hajj, Campaign Coordinator for Greenpeace International +31 6 5312 8904 Omer Elnaiem, Greenpeace International Communications +31 6 15093589Greenpeace International Press Desk +31 (0) 20 7182470
Notes: 1. In the first ranking guide the lowest score was 1.3 out of 10, and only 5 companies scored above 5/10 2. http://green.asus.com/english/dowload/S-AT2-001.pdf3. http://www.designouttoxics.org 4. Electronic Manufacturers’ Coalition for Responsible Recycling, known as the ARF (Advanced Recycling Fee) Coalition5.http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=81985529216445137776.http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/Environment/activities/products/index.html7. http://www.panasonic.net/eco/gp/chemical.html