14 DAY TRIAL // Nokia managed to hold on to the top place on Greenpeace's second edition of Guide to Greener Electronics, gaining the title of most environment-friendly electronics manufacturer. The main goal of the campaign is to determine the electronics companies to eliminate hazardous substances from their products as well as take back and recycle their own products.
Most companies have started to show interest in these matters, considering the fact that almost all of them have improved their manufacturing processes in the past three months, few having failed to score the average of five points.
"The top-ranked brands have adopted a precautionary chemical policy by committing to eliminate the use of the most hazardous chemicals in their products. They have acknowledged that as producers, they bear individual responsibility for financing the take-back and responsible reuse or recycling of their own-brand discarded products," says Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner.
Although developers like Nokia have indeed been making improvements in eliminating elements that are harmful to the environment used in the manufacturing of electronics, it might be that it's not the environment they are interested in after all.
"Companies seem to respond to competition rather than conscience. By turning the spotlight onto top electronics companies and challenging them to outrank their competition, the "Guide to Greener Electronics" has succeeded in motivating companies to improve their policies on chemicals and waste," concluded Kruszewska.
Progress has been made, as most companies have scored over average points, with only 5 companies failing to score enough. Therefore, Nokia is on top of the list, followed by Dell on the 2nd place and Fujitsu-Siemens who have improved 100% to grab the 3rd place.
The only company that didn't seem to do so well was Apple, who was awarded the last position for not making any progress at all.