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So it's little wonder that they have a bee in their bonnet about green issues when it comes to the world's electronic appetite.

According to a recent MORI/Ipsos survey, four in five people from countries such as China, Thailand and Mexico would be prepared to pay more for green PCs, built with a focus on recyclable materials and minimal use of toxic substances.

In fact, according to the survey, they would be prepared to pay quite a lot more: up to £120 in Mexico, £108 in China and £75 in Thailand. This compares with Germany, for example, prepared to pay £32 extra for a green machine.

It seems something of a paradox that China, which according to recent BSA figures has a software piracy rate of 86 per cent, has a population queuing up to pay extra for green PCs.

Zeina Al-Hajj, Greenpeace International Toxics Campaign, told us: 'I have to admit we were also surprised by the results but there are important points to raise here: the survey was conducted in urban areas in China, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico and India. It is those people who can afford to buy a PC in these countries. Additionally, the issue of electronics waste among Chinese consumers is very high on their agenda. The photos of dumps have been shocking in China more than in the western world, so people's reaction is high on that issue.'

So for China and the like, the survey shows how serious an issue this is. But in Western Europe and the US, where the commoditising force of technology manufacturing puts the onus relentlessly on price, can a company really afford to make a green commitment and remain competitive?

Dell certainly thinks it can. It announced today a commitment to 'eliminate in our new products all remaining uses of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by 2009.'

It says that: 'if reasonable scientific grounds indicate a substance (or group of substances) could pose significant environmental or human health risks, even if the full extent of harm has not yet been definitively established, precautionary measures should be taken to avoid use of the substance(s) in products unless there is convincing evidence that the risks are small and are outweighed by the benefits.'

It

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will maintain a list of banned and restricted substances, choose designs that avoid the use of these substances and prohibit its suppliers from using them on a contractual basis.

Epson too says it has made more than a thousand changes to its components and put controls in place for its 2,000-odd suppliers to ensure RoHS compliance.

But there are plenty of companies that aren't so ecologically minded. Only last week Apple was forced to pull products from Europe that weren't compliant with new EU regs. And Apple is one of many tech firms that Greenpeace names and shames as dragging their heels on the environmental issue.

The roll call also includes IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Toshiba and Acer among others. On the mobile side, the campaign group says Motorola is the only one of the top five makers yet to make a commitment on the issue and has even back-tracked on earlier promises.

But commitments made now can take years to bear fruit. Dell's green strategy was one in the making for years. Even in 2003, the company was thrashing out how to tackle the subject, looking at ways of designing out unwanted substances for example.

Epson says it first started looking at ways to design out the use of lead as far back as 1999.

So it's little wonder a company like Apple can get caught out and be forced to pull non-compliant products.

Ultimately the real reason green computing is back in the news is legislation rather than the altruism and concern of global corporates. A couple of years back, the big news in Europe was the introduction of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, calling on companies to factor in and set up recycling for their products. This year it's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) that is being transposed into national law across member states.

And if we are serious about tackling recycling in a world where you upgrade to a new phone every year, legislation is what is needed - both where the goods are made, as well as sold. 'What we have seen is that countries like China and Thailand are looking at developing regulation similar to RoHS and WEEE,' said Al-Hajj. 'China has already passed a regulation like RoHS that will come into force next year and that will be implemented to companies operating in China. So the impact is growing.

'What can be done to improve this more is to have more global regulation but also expose and pressure companies for any double standards and that's what activist are doing globally. If a corporate considers itself a global player then its policies should be implemented globally. The electronics campaign will focus on exposing double standards in production and corporate policies.'

Indeed it's Europe calling the shots. All the US tech giants are signed up to comply with RoHS, but the US itself doesn't have nationwide legislation on dangerous substance use and recycling.