The latest iPods are less toxic than before resulting in Greenpeace giving Apple a rare nod of approval.
In a rarte praising of Apple the enviromentalists say “Greenpeace congratulates Apple for phasing out harmful chemicals like PVC and BFRs(1) in its new, much greener iPods,” group campaigner Casey Harrell said in a statement. “We hope that this is only a teaser of what is to come, and that we will see more of the same with all future product announcements, from iPhones to Macs.”
In the past Greenpeace and other environmentalist organisations have long had something of an adversarial relationship with Apple, with Greenpeace placing the company at or near the bottom of its periodic rankings of CE brands’ Earth-friendliness.
However, Greenpeace is singing a different tune in response to Apple’s latest product launch. The group has praised the company for announcing that its new line of iPods will be free of certain harmful chemicals, and will also use arsenic-free glass. Greenpeace also called the new iPods “significantly less toxic” than earlier versions.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs wrote a letter, published on the company’s Web site, in mid-2007, vowing to take Apple on a greener path.
Greenpeace believes that the latest-generation iPods are significantly less toxic than before. Apple’s announcement(2) is also a good sign that it is serious about meeting its commitment to phase out PVC and BFRs from all of its products by the end of 2008. Further, it shows – once again – that there is absolutely no reason why a high-performing electronics product needs to be toxic in order to be popular, effective and affordable – these are the cheapest iPods yet.
While Apple has now positioned itself amongst the leaders in the electronics industry on PVC and BFR phase-out, toxic chemical phase-out in its iPods should be consistent across all other future product ranges, from Apple iPhone to Apple Macs.
“Greenpeace will stay vigilant, watching future Apple announcements and holding it accountable,” added Harrell. “What we’d really like for Christmas is to see Apple remove toxic chemicals from all its products, and announce a free, global recycling scheme. Now, that would make a very tasty green Apple indeed!”
