Greenpeace has issued some fascilnating data on how “green” various technology makers processes are.
Your Guide to Green Electronics
and
How the Companies Stack Up
7 Nokia - Good but room for improvement on amounts recycled.
7 Dell - Points lost for not yet having models without the worst chemicals. Strong support for takeback.
5.3 Sony Ericsson - Some models without some of the worst chemicals, but bad on precautionary principle and take back.
5 Samsung - Points for toxic phase out but not good on take back and recycling.
4.7 Sony - Some models without the worst chemicals, but bad on precautionary principle and take back.
4.7 Hewlett Packard - Timelines only for toxics phase out plan. Good on amounts recycled. Deducted one penalty point (Sept 06).
4.3 LGE - Points for toxic phase out date but bad on take back.
3.3 Panasonic - Only good on chemicals management.
3 Toshiba - Some models without the worst chemicals, but no timelines for elimination and poor on takeback.
3 Fujitsu-Siemens - Points for some models free of worst chemicals, but poor on takeback.
2.7 Apple - Low scores on almost all criteria.
2.3 Acer - Should do better on all criteria.
1.7 Motorola - Points for chemicals management. Recently broke clean up promise.
1.3 Lenovo - The lowest score of all companies.
I actually read about this last night, forwarded around the “I wish my Mac came in green” spoof page, and then got a response back from a friend, linking to a post debunking Greenpeace’s claims about Apple products.
I’m not exactly sure which to believe, as the debunker (I wish I had the link handy; I might have sent it to you?) sounds more shrill than credible in his post, and I always thought Apple had a better enviro track record than most. But then again, this is the company that told it’s users to buy new iPods when their first gen batteries eventually died. :/
PS - you’ve got a gig coming up, don’t you? :)
A gig, yes. More to come on that.
I’ve always got the impression from the iPod that it’s like a 2 year gadget, designed to last short enough so as not to affect the sales of the newer designs. I can’t say anything else about their production process though.
My iPod is an older 4th Gen pod. The first one with the click wheel, and one of the last ones without a colour screen. It was my first iPod, and thus far I’ve seen no reason to change it. I am seriously intrigued by Microsoft’s Zune though. Actually, that’d be an interesting company to check up on. Microsoft’s making Xboxes and media players and webcams, I wonder how green their production process is.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/10/04
that one actually
Liked it.