Top 15 Green Electronics from Greenpeace Report

CSR business procurement managers should take note of latest Greenpeace guide

Successful CSR business programs should include responsible procurement mandates and resources like the latest edition of The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics are invaluable for the purpose of researching IT and electronic related purchases. First released in 2006, the 17th edition of The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics has become a trusted resource for green electronics rankings. The guide has prompted improvements in the industry including the phase out of polyvinyl chloride and brominated flame retardants, the introduction of many PVC and BFR-free products and led to most mobile phone market leaders now producing halogen-free handsets.

Greenpeace began in Vancouver, British Columbia in the early 1970’s from the peace movement and is a non-governmental environmental organization with the goal to ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity.

Image courtesy of treehugger.com

According to the new Guide ranking criteria, results reflect Greenpeace’s demand that electronics companies:
– Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by implementing a Clean Electricity Plan;
– Clean up their products by eliminating hazardous substances;
– Take-back and recycle their products responsibly once they become obsolete,and;
– Stop the use of unsustainable materials in their products and packaging

The ranking 15 are leading mobile phone, TV and PC manufacturers:

1. HP 5.9/10 Up three places, HP is now the top scoring company – strongest on sustainable operations and energy criteria but could improve on green products criteria. Download HP report card
2. Dell 5.1/10 Up eight places, Dell scores best on energy criteria with a strong target to reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2015 but scores poorly on green products. Download Dell report card
3. Nokia 4.9/10 Down two places, Nokia loses its leadership position to HP and Dell over energy criteria but scores well on green products and sustainable operations. Download Nokia report card
4. Apple 4.6/10 Up five places, Apple is now a joint top scoring company on green products and relatively strong on sustainable operations, but scores poorly on energy. Download Apple report card
5. Philips 4.5/10 Philips gets a strong score along with Sony for supporting progressive clean energy policy and on energy criteria overall. Down two places. Download Philips report card
6. Sony Ericsson 4.2/10 Sony Ericsson gets a joint top score on green products and good sustainable operation score but is weak on energy criteria. Down four places. Download Sony Ericsson report card
7. Samsung 4.1/10 Down two places, Samsung scores best on sustainable operations but needs to improve on energy criteria, especially on sourcing more green power. Download Samsung report card
8. Lenovo 3.8/10 Up six places, Lenovo scores highest on sustainable operations but needs to set strong goals to reduce carbon emissions and boost renewable energy use. Download Lenovo report card
9. Panasonic 3.6/10 Down three places, Panasonic gets one of the highest scores on greener products but scores poorly on energy, and needs to have a clear plan on how it can cut carbon emissions and boost renewable energy use. Download Panasonic report card
10. Sony 3.6/10 Down four places, Sony receives a penalty point for lobby against stricter energy efficiency standards in California. However it also received top scores for supporting ambitious climate targets in Europe. Download Sony report card
11. Sharp 3/10 Sharp supports a new renewable energy law in Japan but scores poor on all sustainable operations criteria. Stays in 11th place. Download Sharp report card
12. Acer 2.9/10 Acer scores poorly compared to major competitors, good on hazardous substance phase out but poor on energy criteria. Stays in 12th place. Download Acer report card
13. Tie – LG Electronics 2.8/10 Up one point, LGE has weak emissions reduction targets and needs to increase renewable energy use. Download LG Electronics report car and Toshiba 2.8/10 Up three places, Toshiba has made some progress on phasing out hazardous substances but needs to improve on energy criteria. Download Toshiba report card
14. Omitted due to tie at 13th position
15. RIM 1.6/10 New to the Guide, RIM needs to improve reporting and disclosure of its environmental performance compared to other mobile phone makers. Download RIM report card

You can read the FAQ’s for additional information on the report. The next edition of the Guide will be published in the second half of 2012 and will reflect the state of the companies at that time along with their policies and practices in action. Although the guide does not rank on the CSR business initiatives of the companies, it does recognize its importance in production and use of electronic products.

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