Greenpeace: PC Makers Break Promises to Phase-Out Toxic Chemicals

March 31, 2009

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Greenpeace International’s latest update to its Guide to Greener Electronics found that HP, Lenovo and Dell won’t meet their promise to eliminate vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their products by the end of 2009.

Lenovo has delayed its deadline to the end of 2010, while HP and Dell have not set a new timeline for completely eliminating PVC and BFR substances from their products.

Dell produces a desktop, a notebook and several models of monitors that have a reduced use of PVC and BFRs, and a few monitor models that are free of these substances, while Lenovo offers two models that are PVC and BFR-free, according to the study. HP is trailing behind, and has yet to bring out models with even a reduced use of PVC and BFRs, said Greenpeace. The study reveals that Acer currently remains committed to phasing out PVC and BFRs in 2009.

However, the importance of offering green computing options is growing. For example, at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, several electronics giants touted their latest energy-saving products.

Of the world’s five top PC makers, only Apple products are now PVC- and BFR-free, although it doesn’t have certified PVC-free power cords yet. The electronics company that made the biggest turnaround is Philips, which jumped from 15th to 4th place in the ranking of electronics companies who are cleaning up their act.

Companies including Samsung, Philips, Dell, Nokia and HP are also working to improve their reduction of emissions by focusing on information technology (IT) in the fight against climate change, said Greenpeace. In addition, several companies including Nokia are increasing their use of renewable energy.