Philips and HP are bringing good things to the environment, according to Greenpeace’s latest Guide to Greener Electronics. The organization praises Philips for releasing the first television free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), both chemicals that persist in the environment after disposal and cause health problems. HP, Acer, Wipro, and HCL have also phased these substances out of several lines of computers, and HP has introduced its first PVC-free printer. Meanwhile, Nokia and Sony Ericsson remain at the top of the class, in first and second place respectively, for producing the most hazard-free products.
But Greenpeace isn’t happy with the entire electronics industry. The organization slapped Toshiba, LGE, Dell, and Lenovo for failing to stay on track in meeting their commitments to making their products greener. Toshiba got a second penalty point for misleading its customers, and Microsoft got slapped for actually backtracking on its commitments. The full Greenpeace Guide is here.
Tekla S. Perry
Tekla S. Perry is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., she's been covering the people, companies, and technology that make Silicon Valley a special place for more than 40 years. An IEEE member, she holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
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