Update 17 July 2008: Apple releases iPhone 3G's Environmental Status Report
Get ready
folks, the Apple iPhone 3G is out today. What are you going to do? Run to the
nearest store and join the queue or find out whether Apple has lived up to its green
promises? Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news
is that the iPhone 3G will come in potato
starch packaging which is definitely greener than plastic. But what we are concerned
about is the nasty stuff inside
the iPhone like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR).
Looks like it's the same old stuff in new packaging. Apple has let us down again by holding on to the toxic chemicals that we found lurking in the original iPhone. Launch of the next generation iPhone would have been the perfect time for Apple Chief Steve Jobs to show his company's commitment to the environment. You won't find BFRs and PVC in the Sony Ericsson in my pocket so there's no reason why Apple can't follow suit.
Our Green my Apple campaign saw Jobs outlining Apple's environmental policies. He also unveiled the greener MacBook Air this year which is free from mercury and arsenic. He has also promised to get rid of PVC and BFRs by the end of this year which he should have done starting with the iPhone 3G launched today. Apple has missed this golden opportunity and we're going to keep a close watch on what Apple does to keep its promises.
