Monday, March 31, 2008

Apple Going Green

ZDNET reports on Apple climbing in the environment rankings.

Front man Steve Jobs announced the MacBook Air at Macworld Expo in January 2008. He pushed its environmental benefits including being completely mercury and arsenic free, exceeding European Standards.

In May 2007 Apple also promised to completely eliminate the use of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Brominated Fire Retardants (BFRs) in the printed wiring on motherboards, and arsenic in the glass of all flat-panel displays by the end of 2008.

Sony was the first to go BFR and PVC-free last November with their Vaio notebook, according to Greenpeace.

While the MacBook Air has less PVC and BFRs than other Mac computers, it is not entirely free of them. Had it been it would have made Apple an ecological leader.

A recent update to Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics shows that Apple is greener than Microsoft and that Nintendo is the worst eco-offender. The Guide ranks top market leaders of the mobile phone, computer, TV and games console markets according to their policies and practices on toxic chemicals and takeback.

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