Apple Gives Greenies The Finger
September 6th, 2010 | by Mobile Data Group |Apple has refused to allow its iPhones to be included in the UK’s first-ever green ranking scheme for mobile phones.
The scheme gives phones a rating of zero to five based on their environmental footprint and major manufacturers including Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung have signed up. The network O2, which is launching the rating system this week, said 93 per cent of the devices its customers use will be covered.
The ranking scheme has been launched in partnership with sustainability advisers Forum for the Future and scores handsets on the ecological impact of their raw materials, the manufacturing process, packaging, how long they are likely to last, energy efficiency and how easy they are to reuse or recycle.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on why the company had decided not to join the voluntary scheme, but highlighted its environmental reporting online.
Many other mobile phone manufacturers, including market leader Nokia, publish similar environment reports online and are taking part in the rankings. RIM, the Canadian firm that produces the BlackBerry has pledged to joint the scheme next year.
“Transparency is always an issue for consumer electronics companies, who claim that providing too much information gives away competitive advantage. But consumers also deserve to know the full story. While Apple has recently made important strides in eliminating toxic chemicals from its products and the reporting of their environmental footprint, it still lags behind others in transparency,” said Gary Cook, IT sector analyst for Greenpeace International.
The environmental group lobbied the California-based company with its “Green my Apple” campaign, and in 2007 praised Apple CEO Steve Jobs for his decision to phase out the use of brominated flame retardants and PVC in the manufacture of the company’s products.