We have heard a lot in recent months about the “greening” of consumer electronics. The environmental watchdog group Greenpeace says we still have a long way to go.

That was the main message of a press conference held by Greenpeace at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The presentation was used to announce the results of a survey done by the organization and entitled Green Electronics: The Search Continues. This is the second year that this particular study has been done by the group. As the title would indicate, while some positive work has been done, Greenpeace believes that the industry still has a long way to go.

Greenpeace cited examples of the progress which has been made to date by the industry, such as the use of more energy-efficient LED displays for notebooks and other devices. They also singled out the use of fewer hazardous chemicals in industry manufacturing processes, especially materials like PVC plastics, which are environmentally unfriendly. The increased use of take-back programs by manufacturers was also seen as a positive step. The report comes at the most pro-green CES expo in memory, as reported by CNET news.

But the Greenpeace study does not give good grades to the slow rate of industry adoption of the Energy Star power conservation program and also slammed the industry’s lack of responsibility for the recycling of its products. Nor was it happy with the slow rate of use of recycled materials by the electronics industry. More information on the Greenpeace report is available here.

Still, the electronics industry is listening to the marketplace. The Consumer Electronics Association, organizer of the show, released the results of a study showing that consumers of electronic devices are looking for green attributes when they compare products, so manufacturers are increasingly using environmental factors as a way to make their gadgets more salable.  Steve Koening, director of industry analysts at the CEA, said simply “Green is becoming a purchasing factor.”

All of this comes at a time of confusion among gadget consumers. Many consumers continue to say that they do not understand what the label “green” means when applied to electronic devices, while at the same time indicating that they are willing to pay more for “green” devices. Perhaps it is time for the industry to step up and develop some standards by which to be judged before consumer groups do it for them.

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Entry was posted on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 4:29 pm under Green Technology, Science and technology.

Read more entries by Michael W. Jones.
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