Green to the Core ... A Greener Apple

Apple have been in the past critised for its impact on the environment. In April it ranked at the bottom of electronics manufactures compiled by Greenpeace, and their Cupertino offices and conferences have seen banner-waving activists driving the issue to the forefront of the mind of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

"Apple has been criticized by some environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products, and for not aggressively or properly recycling its old products"

A Greener Apple, Apple Inc

So it was no surprise that Apple announced yesterday, in a press release from Steve Jobs on the home page of apple.com that they said the company would stop using toxic and hazardous chemicals in manufacturing. In the statement Apple explained what it had already done to clean up its manufacturing processes and laid out how it was planning to make them greener.


Summary of "A Greener Apple"

• Apple now no longer offer CRT monitors (A typical CRT monitor contains 1.3kg of Lead)
• Apple phased out Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Decabromodiphenyl Ether in all products several years ago to comply with RoSH
• Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008
• Apple plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible.
• Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in its products by the end of 2008
• All the ewaste collected in North America is processed in the U.S., and nothing is shipped overseas for disposal
• Apple started recycling in 1994 and today it operates recycling programs in countries where more than 82% of all Macs and iPods are sold. By the end of this year, that figure will increase to 93%
• All of Apple’s U.S. retail stores, which now number more than 150, take back unwanted iPods for environmentally friendly disposal free of charge. As an incentive, they even offer customers a 10% discount on a new iPod when they bring their old iPod to their stores for proper disposal

"Today we're changing our policy."
Steve Jobs, Apple Inc CEO

Greenpeace reacted to the statement by ... releasing a statement, praising the efforts of Apple "bringing us closer to the greener apple that Mac users all over the world have been asking for."

However one issue that has arisen is the US only commitment not to dump ewaste on Asia and India. Elsewhere in the world, an Apple product today can still be tomorrow's ewaste. Other manufacturers offer worldwide takeback and recycling, if Apple really want to compete on green credentials they should too.

"They've made clear what they want-- an Apple which isn't just skin-deep green, but green to the core"

Tasty News From Apple, Greenpeace

Hopefully other electronics firms will follow suit and reduce the harmful chemicals contained in their products. But this also raises concern of how our ewaste is disposed, with large numbers of CRT monitors still in homes around the world. In Europe, disposal of CRT monitors are covered by the WEEE Directive. In October 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency created rules for disposing of CRTs stating that they must be brought to special recycling centres. In November 2002, the EPA began fining companies that disposed of CRTs through landfills or incineration.

If you have a CRT monitor you need recycled in the UK, contact the manufacture direct or contact your local authority. Contact details are available from DirectGov.