July 2, 2009

Sony Ericsson Joins Nokia, Samsung as ‘Greener’ Electronics Makers

Bookmark and Share Email this story Print this post Add your comments

The latest update of Greenpeace International’s “Guide to Greener Electronics” indicates that the world’s biggest PC makers — Hewlett Packard, Dell and Lenovo — have again failed to meet their commitments to eliminate PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their products by the end of 2009.

As a result, Greenpeace gave HP, Lenovo and Dell each a “penalty point” in its updated scorecard for backtracking on their commitments to eliminate these hazardous substances from their products by the end of 2009.

Meanwhile, since the last rating, Sony Ericsson has joined Nokia and Samsung among manufacturers on the green end of the scale.

The guide ranks the 17 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TV’s and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change.

Greenpeace continues to call on companies to eliminate BFRs and PVC from their products, which the environmental group says are harmful throughout the entire lifecycle of a product. Phase-out reduces pollution during the production and disposal of electronics and makes products capable of being recycled in a responsible manner, said Greenpeace.

Moving up two slots to rank number 14, HP continues to lag behind other PC brands in the ranking, postponing its 2007 commitment to phase out PVC and BFRs from its computer products (excluding its server and printer lines) from 2009 to 2011. Unlike Dell and Lenovo, however, HP is not putting PVC- and BFR-reduced products on the market.

However, HP gained points by reporting that 90 percent of HP notebooks and 41 percent of desktop PCs meet the latest Energy Star standards, disclosing externally verified greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations and estimating the supply-chain greenhouse gas emissions of 80 percent of its first tier suppliers.

Falling two positions to number 16, Lenovo dropped its timeline for meeting its original commitment to eliminate PVC and BFRs by the end of 2010. No new timeline has been established. Lenovo scored points for its voluntary take-back program and its use of recycled plastic.

Dell remained in 13th position despite backtracking on its commitment to eliminate PVC and BFRs in all its products by the end of 2009. Dell no longer has a timeline for eliminating these substances. The PC maker gained a point for announcing that 26 percent of its global electricity use now comes from renewable energy sources, up from 20 percent in 2008.

The top three ranked companies are Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, respectively. LGE, Toshiba and Motorola move up the ranking to take 4th, 5th and 6th place. Sony drops down from 5th to 12th position, because it has not kept pace with progress made by other companies, especially on e-waste recycling performance, said Greenpeace.

Ranked number 11, Apple’s new computer lines, virtually free of PVC and completely BFR-free, demonstrate the technical feasibility and supply-chain readiness of producing alternatives to these hazardous substances, said Greenpeace. Dell, Lenovo and Acer have also stayed ahead of HP, putting models on the market that are free, or at least significantly reduced in their use, of PVC and BFRs, according to the report.

Bookmark and Share Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Advertisers

Join the Discussion

Reader Comments

I think this is all Greenwash really to appease bodies like Greenpeace, no?

Get EL Daily in your inbox, subscribe to free newsletter

Recent Daily News [ see all ]

  • 02/09/2010
  • 02/08/2010
  • 02/05/2010

Recent Jobs

Post a Job
Jobs powered by Simply Hired

Comments and Discussions

John Bergdoll on Accidental to Purposeful Sustainability: Using What You Already Have to Grow Sustainability
"I was following the logic your article..."

Liz Amason on Clorox Comes Clean With Chemical Content on Web Site
"But look at their ingredients listings. For example, their regular liquid bleach..."

Rigidflexibility on Companies Going Green Should Ignore Green Consumer
"I was about to market a metal working fluid that is 98>% Soybean oil and..."

Stuart on Canadian Environment Minister Denounces Quebec Vehicle Emissions Regs
"Canadians have been waiting for the feds to act on climate change for..."

Steve Wolford on Sports Teams Embrace Sustainability
"Hello Environmental Leader, We just returned from the National Sport Forum in Baltimore. Team and..."

Mauibrad on Bipartisan Senatorial Effort Seeks Cap and Trade for non-CO2 Emissions
"Finally some enlightened ideas out of Congress!"

Cameron Green on Data Centers Can Apply for Energy Star Rating in June
"I did a blog post about this. Essentially PUE doesn’t give you very much..."