The Philippine Online Chronicles

Due to the current state of rapid technological development, many electronic products become obsolete within a very short period of time, creating a large surplus of unwanted electronic waste. E-waste, as it is called, is a growing global problem— computers, televisions, printers, consoles, and ye-olde-timey items such as VCRs and fax machines— many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled, unfortunately, most of these products invariably find their way into landfills, causing severe human and environmental health impacts.

This growing concern with e-waste early in the decade has spurred interest in other “less-than-green” aspects of electronic production such as operational emissions, sustainability, and product energy efficiency. So loud was the call for more openness regarding the environmental impact of consumer electronic goods that in August of 2006, Green Peace launched its first “Guide to Greener Electronics,” a guide that ranked the fourteen top manufacturers of personal computers and mobile phones according to their policies on toxic chemicals and recycling.

Buy it Right the First Time: The Green Guide

Green Peace’s scorecard highlights which of the major electronics companies are doing the most to remove toxic chemicals from their products, as well as which companies are making the most effort at recycling and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Their guide has evolved throughout the years, mainly as a reflection on the evolution of product popularity; for instance, in the sixth issue of the Guide, Green Peace added the leading manufacturers of TVs— namely, Philips and Sharp— and the gaming console manufacturers Nintendo and Microsoft.  This has since changed, and the current edition now ranks the top 15 manufacturers of personal computers, TVs and mobile phones— Fujitsu, Nintendo, and Microsoft are no longer included and Motorola, manufacturer of mobile phones, has been replaced with newcomer RIM.

The 17^th edition, released just last week, has been revamped to reflect newer research on environmental impacts as well as to provide a more comprehensive assessment of the areas where electronics companies impact the environment, under the three headings “Energy & Climate,” “Greener Products,” and “Sustainable Operations”. As before, the companies are given marks out of ten.

High Scorers: Hewlett-Packard 5.9/10 followed by Dell with 5.1/10

HP takes the lead with a comparatively stunning, but still “red,” 5.9/10. Up three places from the last report, HP is now the top scoring company— strongest on the sustainable operations and energy criteria.  HP also scores maximum points for its comprehensive and transparent paper procurement policy; effectively eliminating sources that are connected to illegal logging and deforestation. As a particularly poignant point, only HP and Dell are open regarding their paper sourcing measures.

HP is also a relatively high scorer on the energy criteria, and is to be applauded for fully disclosing the numbers regarding their greenhouse gas emissions— numbers vetted by external sources—and for setting high targets for their reduction, with a small but commendable 9% reduction since 2009.

Coming in in second place, Dell makes a dramatic improvement by rising eight places to cross the line with 5.1/10. Dell was in 10^th place last time due to backtracking on their commitment to eliminate PVC plastics and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from its products in 2009. Happily, Dell is now on course to meet its PVC/BFR free commitment, although there is as of yet no word on when the company plans to phase out other specified hazardous substances such as antimony compounds, beryllium compounds, and phthalates.

Unripe Fruit: Apple scoring 4.6/10

Apple has been criticized by many environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products considering the company’s vocal stance on being a green organization.

The good news is that Apple is up five places from last time, coming in at 4^th with a score of 4.6/10. Apple gets full credit for the e-waste criteria, exceeding its 70% goal in 2010, a level of recycling which Apple is confident will be maintained through 2015. While remarkable progress in terms of recycling, the bad news is that Apple does not provide a breakdown of its recycling data— causing much speculation on the sources of their figures. What's more, Apple scores zero on paper sourcing, use of recycled plastic in products, and clean energy advocacy, thus keeping it far from being the environmentally sound company it claims to be.

Together with HP, Apple also comes out as a top scorer for its procedures and practices regarding the sourcing of conflict minerals, as well as for publishing its suppliers and engaging effectively in the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition’s conflict-free smelter program.

The best and worst of the rest

In brief, after HP and Dell, Nokia comes in at third place with 4.9/10, followed by Apple 4.6/10, in 5^th is with Philips 4.5/10, 6^th Sony Ericsson with 4.2/10, in 7^th Samsung with 4.1/10, 8^th Lenovo with 3.8/10, 9^th Panasonic with 3.6/10, 10^th Sony with 3.6/10, 11^th Sharp with 3/10, 12^th Acer with 2.9/10, 13^th LG Electronics with 2.8/10, 14^th Toshiba 2.8/10, and finally, coming in 15^th and last is RIM with 1.6/10.

Research In Motion or RIM, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry in 1999. RIM is new to the guide, coming in at woeful last place mainly due to its lack of disclosure regarding its environmental performance compared to other mobile phone makers. RIM discloses numbers on the company’s greenhouse gas emissions however does not have external verification for their data, nor does it have a clear target for reducing emissions. In addition, RIM neither has a clean electricity plan nor a target to increase use of renewable energy.  BlackBerries may be touted as business essentials but the company that manufactures them is advised to take a long hard look at itself.

For the longest time people have been buying electronics based on the prettiness factor, but times are changing. More and more consumers are concerned with the environmental impact their gadgets are creating— and with good reason. With this latest comprehensive report released by Green Peace, consumers can now see the effects their favourite electronics companies are making on the environment­— and perhaps, by the act of buying green, act to improve it.

The next version of the Green Peace Guide will be published in the second half of 2012.