While some consumer electronics manufacturers have cleaned up their
act, making more energy-efficient gadgets with fewer toxic materials,
others are continuing to make fine promises but no changes, according to
Greenpeace. In response, the environmental pressure group is changing the way it scores companies in its Guide to Greener Electronics, placing more emphasis on their actions than their words, and measuring new aspects of their operations. The
latest guide to greener PCs, TVs and mobile phones recognizes the
efforts Hewlett-Packard and Dell have made to clean up their supply
chain, catapulting them up the rankings, while Nokia has slipped back to
third place after leading since September 2008. BlackBerry maker
Research in Motion came in last place. HP scored 5.9 out of 10, the energy efficiency of its products
and its avoidance of hazardous substances putting it well ahead of
second-placed Dell, with 5.1 points, Nokia with 4.9 and Apple with 4.6.
Greenpeace rated Nokia's products more energy efficient than
HP's, but gave the PC manufacturer bonus points for a range of
sustainable operations criteria that haven't appeared in the rankings
before.
For instance, HP scored well for its advocacy of clean energy
policy, its clean electricity plan and its clear policy in favor of
sustainably sourced paper and against deforestation -- something still
missing at Nokia, which began life as a paper manufacturer.
"The original guide criteria were created in 2006, and there's
been a lot of progress on toxics phaseouts since then," said Greenpeace
senior campaigner Tom Dowdall.
The Greenpeace guide originally set out to encourage
manufacturers to stop using materials such as brominated flame
retardants (BFRs) and PVC insulation in their products, and many
manufacturers did so between 2008 and 2010.
Companies such as HP, Apple and Acer were particularly quick to
react, said Dowdall. Apple's products are now BFR-free and the company
uses no PVC, except where required by local safety regulations on power
cords, according to the latest edition of the guide.
While the new rankings still measure the energy consumption and
PVC and BFR content of finished products, Greenpeace is now targeting
the way they are made, asking companies to report on the greenhouse gas
emissions and type of energy used by the factories that make them, and
even the suppliers of the components and raw materials that feed the
assembly lines.
"If you haven't measured it, you can't reduce it. Measurement and
disclosure are the basics of any target-setting," Dowdall said.
Greenpeace has changed the scope of the guide in other ways.
Games console manufacturers Microsoft and Nintendo are no longer ranked,
and neither are PC maker Fujitsu nor phone manufacturer Motorola
Mobility. The report now covers 15 major manufacturers of PCs, TVs and
mobile phones: HP (5.9 points out of 10), Dell (5.1), Nokia (4.9), Apple
(4.6), Philips (4.5), Sony Ericsson (4.2), Samsung Electronics (4.1),
Lenovo (3.8), Panasonic (3.6), Sony (3.6), Sharp (3.0), Acer (2.9), LG
Electronics and Toshiba (both 2.8), and Research in Motion (1.6). A full
breakdown of the scores can be found on the Greenpeace website.
Greenpeace praised all but the last four companies for either
their product energy efficiency, the disclosure of their own greenhouse
gas emissions, or both. HP and Dell were also praised for their
sustainable sourcing of paper products, Nokia and Apple for their
voluntary take-back programs in countries without electronic product
recycling laws, and Sony Ericsson for its chemicals management and
advocacy.
Sony was criticized (and lost a point) for opposing legislation
in California to make battery chargers and appliances more energy
efficient.
Twelve of the companies (all save Acer, LG and Sony Ericsson)
were warned that they too will lose a point next year if they continue
to support industry bodies that have also opposed the energy efficiency
legislation.
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