Nintendo, Microsoft & Philips score poorly in Greenpeace test
Greenpeace has issued its quarterly ‘Guide to Greener Electronics’, a look at which electronics manufacturers rank well and which are failing in terms of environmental policy. This time around, it looks like games console makers Nintendo and Microsoft have come in for a bit of abuse.
The ranking system looks at various different factors, including the use of toxic chemicals and their policy on recycling.
Nintendo are right at the bottom of the pile, being the first global brand ever to score a big fat zero out of the 10 points on offer. Of the 18 companies that were looked at by the ecological warriors, Nintendo were ranked bottom, with Philips and Microsoft not far behind.
Nintendo, who are currently producing million of Wii, and DS consoles, scored zero in every single category. These include the use of harmful chemicals, no policy regarding the use of vinyl plastic or brominated flame retardants, and multiple categories related to recycling.
Philips came second from bottom, with Microsoft not doing much better. They were judged on their Zune mp3 player, as well as the Xbox 360 games console. The company responded by issuing a statement insisting:
“In our consumer electronics business, we comply with and exceed all environmental guidelines and regulations, while ensuring the durability, safety and performance of products.”
Mobile phone manufacturers Sony Ericsson and Samsung came top of the class due to their commitment to eliminating or reducing the use of the worst toxic chemicals in their products.
This is the first time games consoles have been included in the rankings due to the increase in popularity since this generation began.
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November 28th, 2007
Typical Greenpeace:
“Each score is based solely on public information on the companies [sic] website.”
Leave it to Greenpeace to do NO research or work on their own.
Just b/c it doesn’t appear on the company’s website, doesn’t mean the policy and procedure doesn’t exist. Just means that they realize that the average consumer doesn’t want to be bogged down with “mission statements” and all that when trying to buy a Wii.