The Hindu Business Line : Laptop, PC makers rank higher in `green' factor, says Greenpeace report

The `Guide to Greener Electronics' ranks 14 top mobile and PC producers globally, on their use of harmful chemicals and their electronic waste recycling procedure.

Bangalore , Aug. 25

Laptop and PC makers rank higher than other electronic goods makers in the `green' factor, according to a Greenpeace report.

Their sensitivity on the issue of environment friendliness, and responsiveness on introducing better recycling and take-back policies have won the approval of environment campaigners. "The rate of obsolescence of their products, and their projected image as a `clean' industry makes them pay attention to electronic waste issues," said Ms Vinuta Gopal, Greenpeace India Toxics Campaigner, speaking to Business Line on the release of a quarterly report on environmental practices and policies of global mobile and PC manufacturers.

The `Guide to Greener Electronics' ranks 14 top mobile and PC producers globally, on their use of harmful chemicals and their electronic waste recycling procedure. The guide is expected to drive companies into redesigning their products for easier recycling/take-back.

Nokia and Dell share the top spot in the ranking, as they bear individual responsibility for taking back and reusing or recycling their own-brand discarded products. Hewlett-Packard, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Sony are also among the top worldwide environment friendly organisations, according to the report. However, it is to be noted that Sony Ericsson and Samsung don't have take-back policies in India.

Surprisingly, the Chinese laptop maker Lenovo scored very poorly in the ranking.

Indian rankings soon

The organisation plans to perform a similar ranking of Indian companies soon.

"The Indian electronics sector is failing to address the toxic threat its products pose to the environment and health of people. It's time for them to stop trashing the planet, and show that they are capable of being environmentally conscious," said Ms Gopal.

Wipro announced recently that it would launch a take-back policy for its IT products on September 1 and would phase out toxic chemicals by June 2007. HCL Technologies has also been proactive in its efforts to become more eco-friendly. However, many Indian firms, according to Ms Gopal, such as TVS Electronics, BPL, Sahara and Zenith Computers are still unwilling to debate on the subject.

MOBILES

The mobile handset industry in the country can set up recycling plants and lay down take-back policies with leisure. Handsets have not yet reached the recycling yards in India, informed Ms Gopal.

This could be due to the popularity of second-hand mobiles and the still-booming number of mobile adopters.

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