March 26, 2008—The Sony Vaio TZ11 notebook, the Sony Ericsson T650i mobile phone, and the Sony Ericcson P1i PDA came out on top in Greenpeace’s “Searching for Greener Electronics” (.pdf file) survey, released at the recent CeBIT conference.
But the ratings show how far the electronics industry has to go to become green, since each of these products scored just over half of the 100 points possible.
Fourteen major electronics brands provided information for the survey on their most environmentally friendly products—desktops, notebooks, mobile phones, and PDAs (personal digital assistants). Thirty seven products were awarded points against green design criteria including: the substitution of hazardous chemical substances, energy efficiency, and “recyclability.”
The Greenpeace survey assessed products for the presence of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, brominated flame retardants, antimony, beryllium, and phthalates. In addition, it noted other innovations, such as mercury-free LED backlights in LCD screens.
Greenpeace is challenging electronics manufacturers to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products—from production, through manufacture and to the very end of their products’ lives—and to clean up their products by eliminating hazardous substances and replacing harmful ingredients through safer alternatives or design changes while producing energy efficient products.
“Manufacturers need to embrace a truly comprehensive approach. Consumers should not have to choose between a toxic-free product or an energy-efficient one. They should not need to ask if being recyclable is better than being durable. When a product offers all those standards and is marketed with consumer-friendly services expanding the lifespan as much as possible, then we can say there is a true green product on the market,” concluded Vicaire.
Greenpeace’s quarterly ranking of electronics manufacturers, Guide to Greener Electronics can also be found online.
