The poor performance of these companies is in contrast to their
competitors like Apple and HP who are making real progress by
offering their customers a range of greener electronics (2).
The latest Guide was launched at a press conference in Japan
yesterday, as former frontrunners, Toshiba drop from 3rd to 14th
position and Samsung from 7th to 13th with their new penalty points
for failing to meet their commitment to phase out PVC and BFRs (3)
from their supply chain.
"These industry giants cannot claim to be green until they
follow through on their commitments to eliminate substances from
their products that are harmful to the environment and public
health," said Greenpeace New Zealand Communications Manager Suzette
Jackson.
"Companies that are still using PVC and BFRs in their products
need to follow the lead of Apple, HP and Indian brands HCL and
Wipro who are phasing out these toxic chemicals."
On the upside, the Guide also showcases environmental leadership
within the electronics industry by an alliance of companies, for
going one step beyond elimination of hazardous chemicals to using
their considerable influence to advocate for legislation to
eliminate the future use of these toxic chemicals.
"It's encouraging to see several companies grasping the urgent
need for legislation that would enable the complete removal of
these substances, and are pushing for it," (4)
The climbers in this edition of the Guide are Panasonic at 6th
place up from 10th, Sony up from 7th to 6th (tied with Panasonic),
HP up from 11th to 8th and Sharp from 13th to 9th. LGE falls from
6th to 12th position, losing points for poor reporting on the
energy efficiency of its products. LGE's reporting of its latest
Energy Star standards has been disregarded by Greenpeace as the
company was criticised by regulatory authorities for twice
manipulating these efficiency standards to its benefit. (5)
"By committing to phase out timelines and acting on them some
companies have made progress towards a greener future for
electronics. Now all companies need to make this an industry wide
reality by keeping their word and delivering PVC and BFR free
products to the markets en masse and on time" said Jackson.
Other contacts: Suzette Jackson, Greenpeace New Zealand Communications Manager
Mobile: 021 614 899, 
Notes: 1.The 15th Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics is available at http://www.greenpeace.org/rankingguide
2.While Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo, LGE and Samsung have broken their promises to eliminate polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their products, competitors Hewlett Packard and Apple continue to manufacture products free of these toxic substances, showing that it can be done and be done at a competitive cost.
3.PVC and BFRs are highly toxic, and can release dioxin, a known carcinogen, when burned. With the growing tsunami of electronic waste being shipped to developing countries for open burning, workers who deal with e-waste are at the most significant risk for health impacts. Eliminating these substances will decrease exposure to workers and consumers and will increase the recyclability and reusability of electronic products.
4.Greenpeace wants consumer electronics companies to join companies such as Sony Ericsson, HP, and Acer who are actively lobbying for PVC and BFRs to be banned in the EU’s revised RoHS Directive. http://www.rohs.gov.uk/
5.http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/lg-under-the-gun-for-cheatingon-energy-efficiency-testing.php
Exp. contact date: 2010-06-27 00:00:00