PC makers top the green league

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 19 Mar 2008 at 08:02

PC manufacturers Samsung and Toshiba have topped the latest Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics - but it's bad news for Microsoft and Nokia.

The Greenpeace survey periodically ranks companies across the IT industry on their stated commitments to good environmental practice.

Toshiba has shot up the rankings from sixth to first after improving its policy on collecting the company's own electronic waste. "This is as a result of leaving the Electronic Manufacturers' Coalition for Responsible Recycling, which does not support Producer Responsibility for e-waste generated by electronic products, but is demanding that consumers pay ARFs (Advanced Recycling Fees)," according to Greenpeace.

Samsung too have moved up from second to joint first, largely thanks to its strong record of eliminating toxic chemicals from its products. "All new models of LCD panels are now free from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and all new models of mobile phones have circuit boards that are largely free from brominated flame retardants (BFRs), together with the housing and peripherals," Greenpeace notes.

However, some of the industry's biggest names didn't fare so well. Microsoft was propped up only by Nintendo and Phillips at the bottom of the table, after failing "to provide voluntary take-back for its customers' end-of-life products." Microsoft, of course, only has a limited hardware range, the Xbox console being the most notable - and given the problems with the infamous Red Ring of Death, Microsoft has voluntarily had to take back a fair few of those!

And despite a rise in the rankings, Nokia was deducted a point by Greenpeace for "for corporate misbehaviour on its take-back and recycling practice. Further testing of Nokia's take-back programme by Greenpeace revealed that staff are still not informed about the take-back service in Russia and India, although the service was much improved in the Philippines and Thailand," Greenpeace states.

You can see the full rankings on the Greenpeace website.