How ‘green’ is Apple? Who knows?
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
May 12, 2008 at 7:04am
Climate Counts, a nonprofit organization that aims to directing consumers toward the greenest companies, and Greenpeace, the environmental group of which you’ve doubtless heard, need to get together and try to find a meaningful way to rank the “green-ness” of tech companies.
Last week Climate Counts rated Apple last among electronic firms in regards to environmental friendliness. Apple had a miserly score of 11 out of 100 points. Yet almost a year ago Greenpeace moved Apple up its green electronics rankings thanks to CEO Steve Job’s promises to phase out PVCs and other chemicals from its products. Apple ranked 5.3 out of 10 in Greenpeace’s Electronics Guide.
Hmmm, 5.3 out of 10 and 11 out of 100 are wildly different scores. How do the eco groups explain the disparity? I’m not sure they can.
Of course, this isn’t the first brouhaha over the “green-ness” of Apple. Last October, Greenpeace blasted the iPhone for having hazardous chemicals. Then Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF), the international organization of the bromine chemical industry knocked Greenpeace, condemning the environmental lobby group for making unfair criticism of Apple’s iPhone’s green credentials.
The firm also claimed Greenpeace has sensationalized its findings. In return, Greenpeace fired back, saying its testing methodology is fine, thank you, and says its analysis of other hazardous chemicals in the iPhone, such as phthalates, were conducted using recognized techniques.
Apparently (and unfortunately for folks who do want to protect our planet) the scores of “green groups” can prove pretty much anything they want (sort of like statistics). And both Climate Counts and Greenpeace know that knocking Apple will get them headlines, which is what they want. By the way, see Daniel Eran Dilger’s “Climate Counts’ Fake Attack on Apple” at Roughly Drafted as he calls in question the group’s questionable report.
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Dave Says:
Global warming? A hoax? Wake up! I agree that Apple is being unfairly targeted, but I feel unlucky to have to share a planet with you, JJIrons.
Posted on May 12, 2008
JJIrons Says:
Fine with me Dave. If you want to be ignorant and gullible enough to fall for this left-wing “climate change/global warming” trash then you can move to another planet and you won’t have to share this one with me.
Global warming IS a hoax. Pull your herbal tea bags out of your kiester and WAKE UP!
Posted on May 12, 2008
RoDe Says:
JJIrons, Global warming is no hoax. However their are somethings I don’t like about these Eco surveys or what ever they are.
Problem number one is the fact that they base their ratings on what is being said to them by the respective companies. Apple not being an very open company about what their plans are, will always lose in these kind of surveys. Saying nothing is doing nothing I guess?
They don’t base their ratings on cold hard facts. Because if they would, they would find out that companies like Dell, HP, NEC and Lenovo are bigger polluters than Apple.
But hey that doesn’t create any buzz (or headlines) now would it. Greenpeace has openly admitted that going after Apple is good for publicity. And that it creates a bigger buzz. Apple is a hot company. And hot companies have a lot of eyes focused upon them.
Don’t get me wrong people, companies have to take responsibility for the way they produce their products, but also how they are disposed of once used. After seeing the documentary Manufactured Landscapes by Edward Burtynsky and seeing the men, women and children going through our e-waste and seeing how these poor countries get stuck with our e-crap. It became very apparent that things have to change. If not for global warming, than to create a cleaner and healthier environment for these people to live.
Sure you could blame, the governments of these countries, for taking such poor care of their own citizens. But as long as big companies out source their production to these nations. Governments are willing to look away and nothing will be done.
And don’t forget it’s because these governments are willing to look in the other direction, when it comes to environmental and safety issues, that our products are so cheap.
Trust me when I tell you, that if the iPod was produced in the USA, it would be three times as expensive.
It is up to companies like Apple (but also governments) to make sure that their products don’t end up on some landfill in a third world country. Big companies have to start initiatives to make people dispose of their e-waste in a better way. And governments have to force big companies to create these initiatives.
One way of doing this is by introducing incentives.
For instance, you get a 10% discount if you buy a new iPod, but return your old at the Apple Store. These kinds of incentives give people a reason to buy new stuff, but on the other hand it also gives them a reason not to dump their old iPod in the trash can.
Posted on May 12, 2008
RoDe Says:
JJIrons, the country that is the most polluting at the moment is China. They don’t complain about their environment one bit. But strangely they are Socialist Communists and there for extremely left wing.
So your argument that global warming is concocted by commies is absolutely false.
I do however think that global warming is not alone caused by human beings. Climate change has always been apart of our planets existence, just think ice age.
So can we rest on our laurels and hop in to our gas guzzling cars or burn some more coal in order for electricity to flow. The answer to that is a very clear NO!.
Like I said, global warming is not caused by humans alone. However I do think that certain processess are being accelerated by man made pollution. Everything has its point of equilibrium and I think that we are tipping over on some.
But again I must say that global warming/climate change is just one issue. Another issue which gets widely overlooked in all this is the human factor.
Posted on May 12, 2008
Thaytis Says:
A better title for the and slant for the article would have been, “How Green is Apple? Who Cares?”
Posted on May 13, 2008
Green Girl Says:
The variance between these ratings appears to result from the differences between the specific criteria applied. In addition, these types of ratigns often focus on company statements/promises/plans rather than on concrete, empirically verifiable attributes.
An alternative way to look at high tech companies is by assessing the environmental impacts of thier products - after all the proof is in the pudding, and the companies that have redesigned their products to have reduced impact on the enviironment on a lifecycle basis deserve recognition for that fact. Also -purchasing a product that is in itself environmentally preferable directly reduces the enviro impact of your own computing, which is more directly meaningful than purchasing a product because a company says it will change its practices in the future.
The easiest and most widely adopted measurement of environmentally preferable computer products is EPEAT (stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) found at http://www.epeat.net. It covers 51 different environmental performance criteria, and rates products as Bronze, Silver or Gold based on how many mandatiry and optional criteria they meet. Key mandatory criteria include the current ENERGY STAR standard, compliance with the EU’s RoHS directive reducing toxic heavy metals and brominated flame retardants, and provision by the manufacturer of a takeback and recycling system. All major computer manufacturers (includign Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, Lenovo and yes, Apple) participate by registering products in EPEAT - currently about 575 products (base models - this maps to several thousand individual configurations).
So don’t worry too much about figuring out which company ratings address which aspects of environmental performance - though these ratings are useful as spurs to companies improving over time, you can more effectively communicate your interest in these companies’ environmental imporvement by simply using EPEAT (http://www.epeat.net) to reward manufacturers for creating less environmentally harmful products right here and right now.
Posted on May 13, 2008
Thaytis Says:
Like I said.... Who cares?
I want a great computer that works well and is a reasonable price. I don’t really give a crap how “green” it is… it doesn’t make me feel any different.
OOOh, wait, its packed in recycled cardboard. WOW. Now I feel good about myself. I’m a better person. I’m doing good. I’m a good person.
Ridiculous.
Posted on May 13, 2008
JJIrons Says:
Global warming is real and not a hoax huh? Says WHO?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=64734
Certainly not those “in the know.” Apparently, that isn’t you. Sorry but you’ve been had.
Posted on May 20, 2008
JJIrons Says:
P.S. I fully realize that there is a huge difference between global warming and climate change. Climate change as best as we can tell is 100% normal and uncontrollable. Human made global warming is the hoax.
As per an earlier post by RoDe, I agree that China is the dirtiest most polluting country on the planet. It is true that China is a communist country and they aren’t complaining about global warming. Why would they? They would just be implicating themselves if they did so. However, the Liberals, Socialists, Commies in the USA and the western world ARE the onse pointing the finger at the USA. Libs, Socialists and Commies are all basically the same exact thing just to slightly varying degrees. So, it is indeed a belief being pushed by the Commie crowd and it’s very close allies. How can you deny this? It is sooooo obvious.
Posted on May 20, 2008
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
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JJIrons Says:
Climate Counts is a rogue organization that is engaged in extortion in this case. This is all about embarrassing “big business” and if it is considered a really cool and popular company, even better. Not to mention that this whole global warming thing is more and more unravelling and being exposed as a hoax. The biggest mouths in this cult are not scientists who know, it is the activists who are after wealth re-distribution, i.e., socialists and commies. WAKE UP!
Posted on May 12, 2008