PC makers Dell, HP and Lenovo have been criticised in the latest edition of Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics, after the environmental campaigner said they are breaking their promises to phase-out toxic chemicals in 2009.
Companies in the quarterly survey are scored based on their recycling policies, environmental efforts and the chemical content and energy consumption of their products.
Nokia retained its top spot in the latest ranking of 17 consumer electronics companies, after its new CO2 emissions reduction targets met with Greenpeace’s approval. Nokia was closely followed by Samsung, up two places, because of its “clear support for global climate change cuts.”
But most of the world’s largest PC makers dominated the bottom half of the table. Dell continued to drop places, and was even awarded a penalty point for breaking a commitment phase out of toxics by end 2009, as was Lenovo and HP.
Greenpeace said it had penalised the three for “backtracking” on their commitment to eliminate toxic vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) by the end of 2009. It did say that only Apple and Acer are sticking by their pledges to phase out the substances.