Apple moves up the ranks of latest Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics and Nokia regains lead

Amsterdam, International — Apple has finally moved up from being the lowest-ranked electronics manufacturer in the latest Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics – published today - and may start to rival the other ‘greener’ companies if its much-awaited iPhone becomes the company’s first environmentally friendly product.

In the fourth issue of the Guide, Nokia regained the lead, with Dell and Lenovo tying for second place, followed by Sony-Ericsson and Samsung. Apple made the biggest jump from last to 10th place while Sony is the biggest loser in the race, languishing at the bottom of the ranking along with LG, both penalized for ‘double standards’ on their waste policies.

By ranking companies on their harmful chemicals and waste policies, the latest ranking shows that nine of the fourteen companies assessed have scored between 5 and 7 out of ten.

“Clearly, companies are racing to produce greener products” said Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner. “Steve Job’s latest commitment to eliminate toxics materials, moved Apple up the chart and they now face a challenge, with the iPhone, to meet customer expectations to be the environmental leader Apple-lovers want.”

More and more companies are providing information on products that are free from the worst chemicals. For example, as of March 2007, Panasonic had many examples of 100% PVC-free products on the market, including DVD players and recorders, home cinemas, video players, and now provides a list of products that are PVC-free. (4) Meanwhile, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and to some extent Motorola are introducing increasing numbers of models that are also free from PVC and brominated flame retardants.

The Greenpeace Guide clearly demonstrates that companies are starting to act on their responsibility for taking back and recycling their own-branded waste, providing more and more extensive voluntary programmes and informing customers on what to do with discarded electronics.

“Leading computer manufacturers are now going public with their recycling percentage (5), and this transparency is putting the whole sector under the spotlight, pressuring others to measure their recycling performance and likewise go public. We are clearly witnessing steps towards a greener electronics industry” concluded Kruszewska.