Ranking electronics makers


What kind of harmful chemicals are lurking in my PC or mobile phone? I think most of us are just hoping the companies are being responsible, and avoiding polluting the environment. Right?

Greenpeace has launched its Guide to Greener Electronics (pdf). It ranks companies on their use of harmful chemicals and electronic waste recycling. The guide should create demand for toxic-free electronics which can be safely recycled, by informing consumers. The scorecard ranks the 14 top mobile and PC producers and currently all fail to get a green ranking.

I use a Dell, and hey, they share the top spot with Nokia in the Greenpeace ranking! I'm rather surprised that most Japanese makers are doing so poorly in this survey, and glad to see that South Korean companies are doing better. Third place goes to HP, followed by Sony Ericsson (4th), Samsung (5th), Sony (6th), LG Electronics (7th), Panasonic (8th), Toshiba (9th), Fujitsu Siemens Computers (10th), Apple (11th), Acer (12th) and Motorola (13th). Chinese Lenovo is in bottom position.

Greenpeace press release with more details here

Comments

Pandabonium said…
I'm really disappointed in Apple. They are going to get a letter from me. (I'm sure that will get them to straighten out.)
8:51 am, September 01, 2006
Martin J Frid said…
Do write to them! Frankly I think it is the only thing that will get them moving. Within large companies, there are often people who want to go ahead with more environmentally friendly production, and others who are against. Your letter could shift the scale. As always, be polite.
4:42 pm, September 01, 2006
thinkingcrowd said…
Well, not to rain on the parade but... There is nothing in the Greenpeace link that indicates their methodology or how slim the differences between the various companies might be. It's hard to judge if all companies are a hairs' breadth apart or if some companies are clearly outstanding. Sad to say, as much as I love technology, there is nothing "green" about technology. The amount of oil in transport, the vast amount of chemicals used, and the constant battle for the cheapest price make all computer related goods decidedly non-green. A true environmentalist will do best by steering clear completely. :-(
8:52 am, September 07, 2006
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