In June 2004, Samsung was the first company to publicly commit
to eliminate PVC and Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) from new
models of all its products. In 2006 Samsung committed to phasing
our BFRs from its products by the start of 2010 and in 2007 it
committed to a deadline of end 2010 for the phase out of PVC. (1)
Both moves saw the company gain points and position on Greenpeace's
Guide to Greener Electronics (2).
"When a company breaks its promises then it amounts to betrayal
to the consumers. Samsung, being a leader of consumer electronics
market, has given a wrong signal to the public." said Greenpeace
India Toxics Campaigner Abhishek Pratap "If Indian company Wipro
can do it, then why not global giant Samsung take steps to phase
out worst toxins. "
A delay in removing hazardous substances needs to be clearly
communicated with valid reasons: as other companies ranked in the
Greener Guide to Electronics have done, some even a year ahead of
deadlines. In contrast, Samsung only admitted weeks before it was
due to deliver new greener products that it would fail and break
its promise. The latest version of the Guide penalises Samsung for
this delay. Unless the company takes urgent action to meet its
commitments, it will be suffer a further penalty in the next
edition - the first company ever to do so.
During production, use and disposal, PVC is the single most
environmentally damaging of all plastics, and can form dioxin, a
known carcinogen, when burnt during sub-standard recycling
practices. BFRs are highly resistant to degradation in the
environment and are able to bio-accumulate (build up in animals and
humans), can be released from products during use and can also form
dioxins when burnt during the type of basic recycling practices
commonly used in Asia and Africa.
"Samsung is lagging far behind in the mobile phone and PCs
product range, not offering a single model that is even partially
free of PVC and BFRs," said Iza Kruszewska "If Samsung is serious
about its green intentions, it needs to play catch up with
competitors like Nokia and Sony Ericsson and Apple. People are
becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of what
they buy; Samsung needs to understand, what is good for human
health, and for the environment is also good for the company's
bottom line."
A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) found that unless urgent action is taken, the e-waste crisis
is set to worsen dramatically in developing countries (3).
Contact information
Abhishek Pratap- Toxics Campaigner Greenpeace India, +919845610749
Email:
Shashwat Raj- Media Officer Greenpeace India, +91 9686861974
Email:
Iza Kruszewska, Toxics Campaigner Greenpeace International + 44 780 121 2992,
Email:
Martin Besieux, Toxics Campaigner Greenpeace International + 32 496 161585,
Email:
Notes to Editor
1. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/what-s-in-electronic-devices/bfr-pvc-toxic
2. www.greenpeace.org/rankingguide
3.http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=612&ArticleID;=6471&l;=en&t;=long