Accused of using a company that engages in the use of poisonous chemicals to stick Apple Logos to devices Apple has slipped from fifth to ninth in the Greenpeace ranking of technology companies. The big winner appears to be Samsung who have gone from 13th to fifth, while Microsoft and Nintendo are seen as arch villains for failing to take any action.
In its latest Greener Electronics guide Apple still earned a high score for eliminating BFRs and PVC plastic from its hardware, however it was criticised for a lack of information on its policies.
Greenpeace claimed that the company that has $55 Billion in the bank hasn’t provided enough information on how it manages chemicals, communication in the supply chain or how it plans to phase out any more toxic chemicals, Greenpeace said.
The Mac maker was also docked for not taking a stance on banning bromine compounds and organo-chlorines in the RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) 2.0 spec.
In contrast, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, Philips and Samsung have moved up multiple places, with Samsung making a particularly dramatic leap from near the bottom, at 13th, to fifth place. It finally began bringing in BFR- and PVC-free devices this year while reducing the amounts in other devices, and was clearer on phase out dates for toxins even if it delayed its plans for computers by a year.
Several companies slid back, however, including Motorola, Sharp, LG and Toshiba. The companies lower in the ranks were criticised primarily for backtracking on previous promises, scaling back their plans, and in Toshiba’s case, only warning that it wouldn’t meet a goal after the goal deadline had already passed.
Greenpeace continued to reserve the most criticism for console makers, dropping Microsoft to second-last after it backed away from a commitment to purge BFRs and PVCs and hasn’t provided enough information on its phase-out plans. Nintendo was still in last place for doing nothing about electronics waste and actually increasing its carbon dioxide emissions despite a promise to cut them down.
