September 6, 2006—A survey conducted by Ipsos-MORI for Greenpeace International reveals that most people across nine countries say they would pay extra for a more environmentally friendly personal computer (PC) and that companies should be held responsible for dealing with hazardous waste from PCs, rather than expecting users, retail shops, or their government to pay.
The nine-country survey, carried out earlier this year, found that from half to three-quarters of computer users say that they would be willing to pay extra for an environmentally friendly computer. This ranges from 54% in Germany, 62% in the Philippines, 65% in Poland, 68% in Britain, 78% in Mexico, 81% in China, and 84% in Thailand.
The amount computer users say they would be willing to pay extra runs from a low of $59 in Germany, $70 in Poland and $86 in the Philippines to $118 in Britain, $138 in Thailand, $199 in China, and $229 in Mexico.
The survey also found that in nearly every country, a slim majority of people felt that the manufacturers of PCs should be mainly responsible for dealing with any hazardous waste that old PCs produce.
