July 25, 2007—Greenpeace has released the fourth edition of its “Guide to Greener Electronics” which ranks the top 14 manufacturers of personal computers and mobile phones according to their policies related to toxic chemicals and recycling. Greenpeace says the guide is their method of encouraging the electronics industry to take responsibility for the problem of e-waste.
In this issue, Nokia regained the lead because they have phased out PVC and met or exceeded other benchmarks, says Greenpeace. Dell and Chinese manufacturer Lenovo are tied for second place; Dell reportedly has a high recycling rate and a strong global take-back policy for outdated equipment, and Lenovo’s policies make producers responsible for their products at the end of their lifetime.
Sony-Ericsson and Samsung are ranked third and fourth, with limited recycling programs in a few countries and good, but uneven, performance on other criteria. Apple jumped from last to the10th place for its “Greener Apple” pledge to phase out PVC and other chemicals, while Sony and LGE are at the bottom, both penalized for double standards on their waste policies.
