While not completely PVC and BFR-free, these new Mac models mark a significant improvement in toxic chemical phase-out for Apple, progress that is in line with the company’s pledge to phase-out all PVC and BFRs in its entire product line by the end of 2008. This commitment is in large part due to Greenpeace’s “Green My Apple Campaign.”
“Apple has raised the bar for other desktop and notebook companies, specifically on the phase-out of toxic Brominated Flame Retardants in internal components, whichsets a new industry standard for PCs,” said Casey Harrell, Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner. “Now Apple competitors such as Dell, HP,Lenovo, Toshiba and Acer need to show that they can meet or exceed Apple’stoxic chemical phase-out.”
Electronicdevices are a complex mixture of several hundred materials. Many of thesematerials contain certain toxic heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium, and hazardous chemicals such as BFRs and polluting PVC plastic. These dangerous substances cause significant pollution and put workers andrecyclers at risk of exposure when the products are produced or discarded. Ofparticular concern is the exposure of women and children to lead and mercury, metals that are highly toxic and can harm children and developing fetuses even at low levels of exposure.
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VVPR info: Contacts: Jane Kochersperger, Media Officer, (202) 319-2493; Casey Harrell, Toxics Campaigner, (415) 307-3382
Notes: Greenpeace’s Green My Apple campaign timeline:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/greening-of-apple-310507
Apple’s environmental specs for the MacBook and MacBook Pro can be
found here:
http://images.apple.com/environment/resources/pdf/MacBook-Environmental-Report.pdf
http://images.apple.com/environment/resources/pdf/MacBook-Pro-Environmental-Report.pdf
