14 DAY TRIAL // Greenpeace has released a report in which it is heavily criticizing all three major console makers because of the way they use hazardous materials in the construction of their products. Somewhat surprisingly, Nintendo is the biggest offender, as far as Greenpeace is concerned.
Zeina Al-Hajj, the Toxic Campaign coordinator at Greenpeace, is quoted by the BBC as saying that "Nintendo doesn't have any environmental policies". Even if the company projects an innovative image, it does not do enough to make sure that potential threats to the health of gamers are eliminated. For instance, bromine, which serves as a flame retardant but can also cause respiratory problems, can be found in the Nintendo Wii console.
A Nintendo spokesman stated that: "We fully comply with all the necessary EU Directives on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances aimed at environmental protection and consumer health and safety".
With all that, the EU directives on gaming consoles are not as tough as those which are applicable to toys. As a result, all consoles contain "phthalates", which are banned in toys but can still be found in gaming consoles. Because an Xbox 360, a PS3 or a Nintendo Wii can be used by kids as young as 6, Greenpeace believes that taking out chemicals that could jeopardize their physical development is one of the key priorities.
Sony and Microsoft were also targeted by the reports, which claimed that most of their commitments related to eliminating potentially hazardous chemicals from consoles were only made to conform to regulations. Sony was blamed for removing a lot of chemicals from its laptops while continuing to use them in the PlayStation 3.
Al-Hajj maintains that all console makers must implement more measures to become "greener" than they currently are. The impact of consoles on the environment, the impact of their production and, more importantly, their disposal is just beginning to come to light as more and more gamers purchase gaming consoles from Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo. Greenpeace warns that only concerted actions by environmental oriented NGOs and by the general public can create the pressure necessary to make companies like Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft clean up their act.