Hewlett-Packard tops Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics
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Hewlett-Packard Co. has claimed the No. 1 spot on the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics released Wednesday. The Palo Alto-based manufacturer of printers, computers and other consumer electronics scored 5.9 out of a possible 10 points on the 17th iteration of the guide from the international environmental organization.
Hewlett-Packard took the No. 1 position due largely to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations as well as its suppliers, and a procurement policy that excludes paper from companies linked with illegal logging and deforestation. Computer maker Dell Inc., based in Round Rock, Texas, took second place, and also scored well for its greenhouse gas emission reductions and paper policies.
Nokia Corp., the world’s largest manufacturer of cellphones, based in Finland, fell to third place from the No. 1 ranking it held for more than three years. According to the guide, Nokia reduced its carbon emissions only 18% in 2010 -- far short of its 50% goal.
Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., was ranked fourth, winning maximum points for e-waste and sourcing minerals from countries that do not trade with insurgent rebel groups. In 2010, 70% of Apple’s personal electronics products were recycled. It also scored well for creating products that are free of polyvinyl chloride and brominated fire retardants.
Research In Motion, the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, scored last out of the 15 companies included in the guide. According to Greenpeace, the company does not have a clean electricity plan or a target to increase use of renewable energy. Its products are also energy inefficient, the guide said.
All of the consumer electronics companies Greenpeace researched were ranked in three general categories -- energy, green products and sustainable operations -- each of which was broken down according to more detailed criteria such as clean-energy advocacy, product energy efficiency, avoidance of hazardous substances and use of recycled materials. The information reported in the guide is publicly available and provided by the companies.
‘When people say they want green electronics, these are the things they care about,’ said Casey Harrell, a Greenpeace information technology analyst and co-author of the guide. ‘They want the products to be as energy efficient as possible. They want them to be recycled and not go overseas. They don’t want to be contributing to conflict.’
The current guide is the first in which Greenpeace has incorporated companies’ paper policies and use of so-called conflict minerals that often come from countries in conflict.
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