Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, MacBook
Greenpeace responds to 'Greener Apple' update
Greenpeace is reacting favorably to Apple's new, environmentally friendlier product line, but chides the company for not reducing the amount of some toxic chemicals more quickly.
According to a blog post on Greenpeace's website, Apple's new MacBooks are not entirely free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a kind of plastic. Apple says that internal cables now contain no PVC, but Greenpeace wants to see the entire computer free of PVC.
Greenpeace also examines Apple's update to Apple's Greener Apple policies, some of which we highlighted on Tuesday. Apple has promised in this update to have its product line complete PVC free by the end of this year.
The environmental activist organization releases a quarterly Guide to Greener Electronics, where Apple scored a 4.1 (out of 10) last month. Greenpeace's blog post hints that these new changes to its product line will increase its score. Nokia has the highest score of any company, 7 out of 10.
Thanks, Tom!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Bob said 5:08PM on 10-16-2008
Why Greenpeace gets to set the tone of discussion is beyond me.
One of the reasons PVC is used is for flexibility of cables. That isn't a big issue for internal cables. However the external ones (power cords, headphones, etc.) are MUCH stiffer and less flexible now thanks to Apple cowering in the face of radical environmentalists.
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Flunky Carter said 6:02PM on 10-16-2008
pvc... cancer... 'nuff said.
ericdano` said 2:59PM on 10-16-2008
You cannot expect an industry to shift overnight. That would be like asking the Energy Industry to switch to something other than Oil for cars by next week. It is not going to happen. You have to transition there. Apple is doing that.
Greenpeace ought to go back to saving wildlife and whales and stuff rather than what they do now.
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Flunky Carter said 3:14PM on 10-16-2008
whales don't contain pvc... unless you count the pvc they're more than likely consuming because companies like apple use pvc... by pressuring apple to remove pvc, and other toxic materials for example... they are saving whales... and saving your whiny ass.
johnmc said 3:46PM on 10-16-2008
Firstly,
you said 4:55PM on 10-16-2008
Ya there's only been an environmental movement since the 1960's, and thats practically yesterday so whatever, get back to humping whales...
like those toxins you keep crying about don't effect the overall ecosystems...
get real buddy...
Dweeby said 3:11PM on 10-16-2008
No doubt.
By the way, they need to take a reading comprehension course or something. Apple is in the process of removing PVC; they don't state they've gotten there yet.
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jas said 3:12PM on 10-16-2008
how about not shipping 40Kg of books with every final cut studio box Apple??? put the instructions on the disk!!! now that would be a green step.. surely it would reduce the price too!
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Frank said 3:17PM on 10-16-2008
pot, meet kettle. if greenpeace was really walking the talk, they wouldn't use computers. they should just be happy apple's doing what they can, when they can, and thus helping influence the whole industry.
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lakiolen said 3:33PM on 10-16-2008
Greenpeace only hates on Apple, Inc. because they haven't been able to cow Apple into giving them money to shut up and because they know it'll generate more news than saying how bad any other PC makers is.
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PSM said 4:27PM on 10-16-2008
Maybe I just haven't heard about it because I mainly follow Apple news, but why is it that Greenpeace keeps singling Apple out? From the amount of press this gets, they'd make you think Dell, HP and all the others make their computers out of rainbows, sunshine and snowflakes. It's so clearly a ploy for publicity that I no longer care what they're doing for endangered whales or anything else -- obviously they care more about flashy news stories than pursuing their cause with dignity, so why should I take them seriously?
reallycrazyguy said 3:44PM on 10-16-2008
This is stupid. Greenpeace is mainly targetting Apple, not because they are poor environmentally, but because Greenpeace gets a lot of free publicity by including references to Apple in it's press releases.
And it's not like doing well gets you anything from Greenpeace, because they just redefine the bar so you are still failing. Greenpeace will only be happy once all corporations convert the land they own to farmland, then give the title to the land to Greenpeace, then go out of business!
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Bill Tuttle said 11:56AM on 10-17-2008
No, the terrorist organization Green Peace has figured out what companies they can easily extort and proceed to do so. Like much of the "eco" groups, they are simply anti-capitalist groups. Those that actually care about the environment, have left these outfits behind.
Ben S said 7:20PM on 10-16-2008
Green Peace will NEVER be happy with Apple or any company that turns a profit. They will find a way to complain. I know this is nothing new but two words Raunbow Warrior... Idon't care how green it is or who many whales they save.
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Ben said 3:48PM on 10-16-2008
Who do they think they are?
Give a beggar a nickle, they'll ask for a dollar.
You give him a dollar, he'll ask you for 700 billion dollar.
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Calamier said 3:50PM on 10-16-2008
Who cares what greenpeace thinks. They should be happy Apple is making an effort.
Go eat some grass friggin hippies.
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pentumforever said 3:56PM on 10-16-2008
You underestimate what a prise from greenpeace means, of course they have to critize something in order to keep the pressure up.
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coffeepostal said 3:58PM on 10-16-2008
I think the really frustrating thing about this is that Greenpeace doesn't offer any alternative. They just announce that Apple hasn't gotten rid of enough toxins to suit them, and then give them a rating. It's a politically correct version of mudslinging. I'm very interested in being environmentally conscience, but I'm also a pragmatist. You cannot just proclaim that an integral part of a societies infactfucture must go without offering a reasonable alternative/plan to do so.
I have to agree with several other posts here, Greenpeace certainly has a history of singling out Apple. I don't know enough about the issue to say it's because Apple doesn't buy them off, but in seeing the packaging from other computer companies, there's definitely some unfair singling out.
It reasons like these that the general populous doesn't take environmental issues seriously. Environmentalists get pegged with stereotypes of complaining with not solutions and being unreasonable, and they're justifiable. Anyway, this is quite frustrating. Unless you have a viable solution to the problem, don't go around insulting people actually doing something about it.
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Foff said 4:06PM on 10-16-2008
That blog post is another Greenpeace of shit.
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Level 5 said 4:05PM on 10-16-2008
Greenpeace is a terrorist organization. Plain and simple. They're only targeting Apple because they're.. well... Apple. Apple is TRYING to improve their processes to be more friendly to the environment. No one can do it overnight, and I'd say this is quite a start in 2008.
And I mean come on now, all those Escalades Greenpeace burned to rubble probably put out more toxic emissions than any fleet of Macbooks Apple could dare pull of an assembly line.
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