Dismantling of laptops to enable testing of individual components and materials for a range of hazardous substances.
The
Greener Electronics Guide has been our answer to getting the
electronics industry to face up to the problem of
e-waste. We want manufacturers to take responsibility for the
unprotected child labourers who scavenge the mountains of cast-off
gadgets created by our gizmo-loving ways.
The guide ranks the 14 top manufacturers of personal computers
and mobile phones according to their policies and practice on toxic
chemicals and recycling. In the first edition of the Guide from
August 2006, the average score was 4/10. Now every company scores
above 5/10. Click on the version numbers to see how the rankings
have changed:
Race to the top
Every company ranked bottom of previous editions have made
improvements to move up. Lenovo was bottom of the
first guide but rapidly improved its chemicals policy and
launched a global takeback program. Apple was bottom of the
next two editions but pledged in May to improve its chemical
policy and increase its recycling rate. Sony was bottom of the
June 07 edition but has since launched in the US the most
advanced takeback and recycling programme of any company.
The biggest movers in the latest guide are
Sony and
LG Electronics. Both have had their penalty points lifted for
leaving a US industry coalition that lobbies against producer
responsibility for recycling discarded products.
Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner, has
been amazed at the progress the Guide has helped create: "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".
Even companies not featured in the ranking have improved
policies in the race to be greener. PC maker Asus has improved it
environmental policies and an Indian edition of the ranking has
lead to improvements from the two biggest Indian computer
companies, WIPRO and HCL.
Hewlett Packard (HP) is the only company who has fallen in each
ranking - over taken by competitors, and weakening its support for
a strong takeback policy. It also still needs to provide concrete
timelines for the complete elimination of hazardous chemicals.
Panasonic now languishes at the bottom, despite launching some
products free from the most hazardous chemicals; they fail to deal
with old products responsibly.
Apple, while not losing points, has dropped to 12th position.
Its newly launched iPhone, and new iMac and iPod lines, still
include the worst toxic chemicals - allowing its competitors to
race ahead.
As well as driving improvements in company policy there are many
improvements in company practice since the first ranking. More
companies now have free take back programs making it easier to
recycle your old electronics. More products are available without
the worst toxic chemicals like PVC (vinyl) plastic and brominated
flame retardants (BFRs). Motorola and LG have joined Nokia and Sony
Ericsson in selling phones without these toxic chemicals. Sony has
a wide range of products including models of the Walkman,
camcorders and a digital camera that are partially BFR and PVC
free. Panasonic lists examples of PVC free products that include
DVD players, home cinemas, and video players.
Publicly comparing the performance of these companies has proven
a highly effective way to bring about quick improvements in their
environmental policies. However, we are still waiting for the
companies to act on their promises to market a computer completely
free of the worst toxic chemicals.
Take action
You can keep the pressure up by writing to the CEO's of the top computer firms to challenge them to produce a greener computer.
Donate
We never allow ourselves to be fed by a hand we might want to bite. Not accepting corporate donations means we rely entirely on people like you to help keep us going. Some of our corporate targets spend in a few hours what we spend in an entire year. Please help with anything you can.