Will leaving EPEAT impact Apple? May be.. May be not.. This will be interesting.. let us see if people love design and form-factor or their mother nature.. I am sure Apple will come with some better explanation and may be better environment friendly option while they ditch EPEAT logo.
In short term, it is not making any difference. If you look into details, looks like, they knew that iPad/iPhone is not going to be approved which is one of the big business segment for them.. So why not ditch it completely.. May be plant some trees somewhere else to offset this logo?
Greenpeace spokesman Casey Harrell said Apple “has pitted design against the environment — and chosen design. They’re making a big bet that people don’t care, but recycling is a big issue.”
Harrell described the Cupertino company’s withdrawal from EPEAT as “unfortunate,” noting that Apple in the past has introduced eco-friendly design features such as using aluminum instead of plastic in the casings of their products, which makes recycling easier.
Apple has often boasted that its computers and laptops achieve “gold ratings” from EPEAT on its environmental reports. It’s withdrawal will eliminate numerous products — 39 laptops, desktop computers and monitors — from the well-known green registry.
Apple’s decision has flummoxed cities like San Francisco, which can no longer buy Apple computers because its procurement rules require EPEAT approval.
“I don’t know why Apple would choose to go this route. It’s really bad for EPEAT, and it’s really bad for anyone trying to do green purchasing,” said Chris Geiger, the city of San Francisco’s toxics reduction coordinator. “We strongly believe that eco-labels are essential for green purchasing, and Apple just withdrew from the list. We want to register our displeasure and urge Apple to reconsider.”
To meet EPEAT standards, products must be easy to disassemble into separate components by recyclers. Companies like Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung have participated in developing the organization’s standards, and EPEAT’s registry of products has long been a green procurement guide of sorts for the federal government, cities, large corporations and colleges and universities.
Apple has offered no explanation for why it would glue the batteries into the new MacBook Pros or in other ways make its products difficult to disassemble, but the company has a long history of designing products to discourage tinkering by their users.
It notified EPEAT of its withdrawal in a letter Thursday, but didn’t elaborate on its reasons. An Apple representative Monday declined to comment, saying only that the company remains committed to the environment.
Based in Portland, Ore., EPEAT is a nonprofit organization funded by major PC manufacturers and the EPA that awards electronic products a stamp of approval if they meet the group’s minimum requirements for energy efficiency, use of toxic materials and disposal.
Apple was long criticized by Greenpeace and other groups for failing to eliminate hazardous materials from products. But it eventually became a leader among tech companies for eliminating toxic chemicals from its computers. Still, it has faced criticism from Greenpeace for allegedly being slow to abandon coalpowered energy for its everexpanding server farms.
EPEAT standards do not currently cover smartphones or tablet computers, which represent a fastgrowing portion of Apple’s business. But standards for those products are being crafted, Frisbee said, hinting that Apple’s phenomenally successful iPad may not be in compliance.
“There’s an issue with the cementing in of batteries on the iPad,” he said. “If you can’t separate the toxics from recyclables, it doesn’t qualify. Other manufacturers have been able to find ways to stay within the EPEAT requirements. It’s a little confusing as to why Apple, which has always been the leader, has chosen a different direction.”
Barbara Kyle, the national coordinator of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a San Franciscobased group that promotes green design and recycling of electronics products, also wondered if Apple was withdrawing from EPEAT because its new products cannot be easily disassembled.
“What does a recycler do? The first thing is they take apart the product to remove the hazardous stuff. They absolutely need to be able to open it up,” Kyle said. “If you can’t even take the battery out, or if you’ve glued in the battery with industrial strength glue, that is not designing with recycling in mind.”
Gartner analyst Van Baker said Apple’s pullout from EPEAT will have little impact on its bottom line. He added that Apple has good “environmental credibility” for a consumer electronics company.
“Let’s face it, the EPEAT label is pretty far down the purchase criteria list for most people,” Baker said. “I’m sure Apple will point to other things, such as the fact all the materials they use are free of any pollution.”
Contact Dana Hull at 408920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/danahull.
In short term, it is not making any difference. If you look into details, looks like, they knew that iPad/iPhone is not going to be approved which is one of the big business segment for them.. So why not ditch it completely.. May be plant some trees somewhere else to offset this logo?
GLUED-IN BATTERIES AT ISSUE
Uproar ripens as Apple turns less ‘green’
Tech leader’s pullout from registry of eco-friendly products spurs backlash
By Dana Hull and John Boudreau
Staff writers
After establishing itself as an environmental leader among consumer electronics companies, Apple’s abrupt withdrawal from a prominent “green” product registry has set off a furor in the blogosphere and could modestly cut into the company’s computer sales.
Apple’s decision may be tied to the design of the new Mac-Book Pros, which have batteries glued into the case and can’t be disassembled for recycling — a violation of the green certification standards of EPEAT, a nonprofit product rating group backed by many manufacturers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Uproar ripens as Apple turns less ‘green’
Tech leader’s pullout from registry of eco-friendly products spurs backlash
By Dana Hull and John Boudreau
Staff writers
After establishing itself as an environmental leader among consumer electronics companies, Apple’s abrupt withdrawal from a prominent “green” product registry has set off a furor in the blogosphere and could modestly cut into the company’s computer sales.
Apple’s decision may be tied to the design of the new Mac-Book Pros, which have batteries glued into the case and can’t be disassembled for recycling — a violation of the green certification standards of EPEAT, a nonprofit product rating group backed by many manufacturers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“I’ve had some conversations, and Apple has said that their design direction is not compatible with EPEAT standards,” the group’s CEO, Robert Frisbee, in an interview Monday. “It’s kind of odd since they've helped design” the standards.
Greenpeace spokesman Casey Harrell said Apple “has pitted design against the environment — and chosen design. They’re making a big bet that people don’t care, but recycling is a big issue.”
Harrell described the Cupertino company’s withdrawal from EPEAT as “unfortunate,” noting that Apple in the past has introduced eco-friendly design features such as using aluminum instead of plastic in the casings of their products, which makes recycling easier.
Apple has often boasted that its computers and laptops achieve “gold ratings” from EPEAT on its environmental reports. It’s withdrawal will eliminate numerous products — 39 laptops, desktop computers and monitors — from the well-known green registry.
Apple’s decision has flummoxed cities like San Francisco, which can no longer buy Apple computers because its procurement rules require EPEAT approval.
“I don’t know why Apple would choose to go this route. It’s really bad for EPEAT, and it’s really bad for anyone trying to do green purchasing,” said Chris Geiger, the city of San Francisco’s toxics reduction coordinator. “We strongly believe that eco-labels are essential for green purchasing, and Apple just withdrew from the list. We want to register our displeasure and urge Apple to reconsider.”
To meet EPEAT standards, products must be easy to disassemble into separate components by recyclers. Companies like Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung have participated in developing the organization’s standards, and EPEAT’s registry of products has long been a green procurement guide of sorts for the federal government, cities, large corporations and colleges and universities.
Apple has offered no explanation for why it would glue the batteries into the new MacBook Pros or in other ways make its products difficult to disassemble, but the company has a long history of designing products to discourage tinkering by their users.
It notified EPEAT of its withdrawal in a letter Thursday, but didn’t elaborate on its reasons. An Apple representative Monday declined to comment, saying only that the company remains committed to the environment.
Based in Portland, Ore., EPEAT is a nonprofit organization funded by major PC manufacturers and the EPA that awards electronic products a stamp of approval if they meet the group’s minimum requirements for energy efficiency, use of toxic materials and disposal.
Apple was long criticized by Greenpeace and other groups for failing to eliminate hazardous materials from products. But it eventually became a leader among tech companies for eliminating toxic chemicals from its computers. Still, it has faced criticism from Greenpeace for allegedly being slow to abandon coalpowered energy for its everexpanding server farms.
EPEAT standards do not currently cover smartphones or tablet computers, which represent a fastgrowing portion of Apple’s business. But standards for those products are being crafted, Frisbee said, hinting that Apple’s phenomenally successful iPad may not be in compliance.
“There’s an issue with the cementing in of batteries on the iPad,” he said. “If you can’t separate the toxics from recyclables, it doesn’t qualify. Other manufacturers have been able to find ways to stay within the EPEAT requirements. It’s a little confusing as to why Apple, which has always been the leader, has chosen a different direction.”
Barbara Kyle, the national coordinator of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a San Franciscobased group that promotes green design and recycling of electronics products, also wondered if Apple was withdrawing from EPEAT because its new products cannot be easily disassembled.
“What does a recycler do? The first thing is they take apart the product to remove the hazardous stuff. They absolutely need to be able to open it up,” Kyle said. “If you can’t even take the battery out, or if you’ve glued in the battery with industrial strength glue, that is not designing with recycling in mind.”
Gartner analyst Van Baker said Apple’s pullout from EPEAT will have little impact on its bottom line. He added that Apple has good “environmental credibility” for a consumer electronics company.
“Let’s face it, the EPEAT label is pretty far down the purchase criteria list for most people,” Baker said. “I’m sure Apple will point to other things, such as the fact all the materials they use are free of any pollution.”
Contact Dana Hull at 408920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/danahull.
