Straits Times 29 Nov 07;
Sony Ericsson and Samsung come out tops in list of nature-friendly companies
AMSTERDAM - GREENPEACE gave Microsoft and Nintendo abysmal rankings on their efforts to phase out toxic chemicals from their game consoles.
Nintendo became the first company to score zero out of a possible 10 points in the Greenpeace ranking of 18 leading electronics companies.
The company provided no information to consumers on the substances it uses in manufacturing or on its plans to cut hazardous materials, the environmental organisation said on Tuesday.
Microsoft, judged on its Zune MP3 player and Xbox game console, lost points for its pledge to eliminate toxic chemicals only in 2011 and for having no voluntary take-back programme for electronic waste. It took 16th place.
Microsoft said in a statement that it is committed to environmental progress.
'In our consumer electronics business, we comply with and exceed all environmental guidelines and regulations', while ensuring the durability, safety and performance of products, the company said.
A public relations firm working for Nintendo said it was unaware of the Greenpeace report and was checking.
Greenpeace judges companies on their mechanisms for collecting used hardware and on their timelines for eliminating vinyl, or PVC, and fire-retardants that can be dangerous when released into the environment.
It does not weigh companies' overall environmental portrait, though it will look at energy efficiency next year, said Greenpeace spokesman Iza Kruszweska.
Greenpeace added television and game consoles to the sixth issue of its two-year-old ranking in recognition of their growing importance, especially as Americans cast off old TVs for digital receivers.
Shipments of game consoles grew by nearly 15 per cent last year to 62.7 million units worldwide, Greenpeace said.
Greenpeace said TV producers Royal Philips Electronics and Sharp also have poor policies on taking back and recycling outdated products.
The most nature-friendly companies on Greenpeace's list were Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Samsung, which each scored 7.7 points.
Greenpeace punished cellphone maker Nokia, the list's former leader, and its competitor Motorola for breaking pledges to take back used hardware in five of six countries where the environmental organisation conducted spot checks.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Green factor
GREENPEACE judged companies on their mechanisms for collecting used hardware and on their timelines for eliminating vinyl and fire-retardants that can be dangerous when released into the environment. Here are the results of the ranking:
1. Sony Ericsson
2. Samsung
3. Sony
4. Dell
5. Lenovo
6. Toshiba
7. LG Electronics
8. Fujitsu-Siemens
9. Nokia
10. Hewett-Packard
11. Apple
12. Acer
13. Panasonic
14. Motorola
15. Sharp
16. Microsoft
17. Philips
18. Nintendo
Greenpeace raps naughty Nintendo
Yahoo News 29 Nov 07;
Games console maker Nintendo "completely fails to show any environmental credentials," Greenpeace said in its latest report measuring the policies of electronics companies on toxic chemicals and recycling.
Nintendo, the maker of the hit Wii console, scored zero out of 10 in Greenpeace's "Guide to Greener Electronics," which aims to encourage manufacturers to get rid of harmful chemicals.
Manufacturers of television sets and games consoles were included for the first time in the latest edition of the quarterly guide.
"Nintendo completely fails to show any environmental credentials and Microsoft and Philips do little better," the report said.
Swedish-Japanese group Sony Ericsson took first place, with Samsung and Sony in second and third.
Nokia and Motorola fell in the rankings after Greenpeace investigations in six countries showed company staff unable to help consumers with enquiries about product recycling.
"Nokia representatives in the Philippines, Thailand, Argentina, Russia and India were not informed about their companies' own programmes and in many cases provided misleading information," the report said.
Motorola staff in the Philippines, Thailand and India were unable to direct customers to collection points, according to Greenpeace.
"Many companies have made big strides to improve their products and recycling schemes ... but no company has so far succeeded in offering an entire range of products free of the worst toxic chemicals or a comprehensive, free, global takeback scheme to ensure responsible recycling," the report concluded.
