Nokia top in latest green electronics ranking

Auckland, 17 September 2008 - Five leading brands are making significant progress in greening their electronics products, Greenpeace's latest Guide to Greener Electronics released today reveals (1).

Nokia regains the lead, ranking seven points out of ten (2). Its table-topping score is due to improved take-back practice in India (3).

"Most of the brands are responding to the more stringent chemical and e-waste criteria in the Greenpeace Guide and the recently added energy criteria," said Greenpeace Spokesperson Suzette Jackson. "Top scorers on energy efficiency of individual products are Apple, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung."

Jackson said Toshiba was an example of a company that had improved its climate policy.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers jumps to third place -- up from 15 in June -- with a score of 5.5 points. The company has finally set late 2010 as its deadline for eliminating PVC plastic and all brominated flame retardants (BFRs) across its product range. Sony Ericsson ranked fourth followed by Sony, both scoring 5.3.

So far, no company has released a computer completely free of BFRs and PVC, though several have recently launched new products with restricted amounts of toxic BFRs and PVC. Last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that the new iPod line will be free of BFRs, PVC and mercury, following the lead of companies like Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

"We see this as a very positive step by Apple towards its commitment to eliminate these toxic elements from all of its products by end of 2008. But we're disappointed with the new iPod's built-in obsolescence – high battery replacement costs encourage a new product purchase," Jackson stressed.

Philips stands out as the company with the worst position on e-waste and recycling. It ranks 12th with 4.3 points, retaining its penalty point (4) for negative lobbying on Individual Producer Responsibility in the European Union (5).

Languishing at the bottom is Microsoft, which received 2.2; Sharp, 3.1; and Nintendo which remains rooted to the bottom with 0.8.

The Guide continues to drive significant change in the industry with Intel's recent announcement that its new Xeon 5400 processors use transistors made from Hafnium so avoiding the use of fire retardants such as BFRs.

(1) The ninth Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics can be found at: http://www.greenpeace.org/greenerelectronics

(2) Nokia last ranked first in the fifth edition of Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics, September 2007.

(3) According to Greenpeace India's Take-Back Blues: An Assessment of E-waste Take-back in India, published in July, Nokia has one of the best take-back policies of all global brands in the country. See http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/reports/take-back-blues

(4) A company receives a penalty point if it is found to be lying, practicing double standards or any other corporate misbehaviour.

(5) Philips, Sharp and Sanyo were members of the Electronic Manufacturers' Coalition for Responsible Recycling, a coalition of TV producers in the US, which lobbied against Producer Responsibility for financing e-waste recycling. It was finally dissolved in August. Samsung, Sony, LGE, Toshiba and Panasonic left the coalition after either being penalised or threatened with a penalty in previous editions of the Guide for their membership of the body.