Apple Doesn't Care About Being Green

For many, Apple seemed to be an eco-leader in consumer electronics, but its withdrawal from a leading green product registry is causing many to question the company's motives. But the real reason may just be about dollars and cents.

Apple has bowed out of EPEAT, a nonprofit product rating group backed by manufacturers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The reason? Likely because its new MacBook Pros can't be taken apart and recycled, which is a violation of the nonprofit's green certification standards. It's because the batteries are glued into the case.

"I've had some conversations, and Apple has said that their design direction is not compatible with EPEAT standards," the group's chief executive Robert Frisbee told the Mercury News. "It's kind of odd since they've helped design" the standards in the first place.
 
Greenpeace spokesman Casey Harrell said Apple "has pitted design against the environment -- and chosen design." 
 
Apple's decision also caused the City of San Francisco, which only uses EPEAT approved products, to place a ban on buying any new Macs. But at least one analyst said the news wouldn't affect most Apple consumers.
 
"Let's face it, the EPEAT label is pretty far down the purchase criteria list for most people," Gartner analyst Van Baker told the Mercury News. "I'm sure Apple will point to other things, such as the fact all the materials they use are free of any pollution."
 
Will Apple abandoning its green principles be enough to put off consumers? We think that if the company overworking Chinese employees in a dangerous and explosive workplace hasn't put consumers off buying an iPad, then gluing batteries into a MacBook Pro won't either.
.
 
Contact Us