Green IT: broken promises from HP, Lenovo and Dell

Posted by jossc - 1 July 2009 at 4:55pm - Comments

We've given HP, Lenovo and Dell - the world's biggest PC makers - a penalty point in our updated Guide to Greener Electronics, for backtracking on their commitments to eliminate PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their products by the end of 2009.

Staff at the Dutch headquarters of 'Harmful Products' (as we've now rebranded HP') were greeted on arrival this morning by Greenpeace activists confronting them with pictures of the pollution HP's toxic products cause in Asia and Africa. The PC giant has already received a public reminder of the need to reprioritise toxic chemical phase out, when activists recently returned 'toxic laptops' to the company's Chinese headquarters.

The Greener Electronics Guide is updated quarterly to reflect the progress (or lack of) which IT companies are making towards achieving truly green products.

It is our way of getting the electronics industry to face up to the problem of e-waste. We want manufacturers to get rid of harmful chemicals in their products. We want to see an end to the stories of unprotected child labourers scavenging mountains of cast-off gadgets created by society's gizmo-loving ways.

Read more on our international site »

Article tagged as: dell, e-waste, electronics, green electronics guide, hewlett packard, lenovo

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So there's nothing wrong with Apple milling laptop cases from a single block of aluminium, increasing energy usage, but there is with companies daring not to be shamed into an expensive rejig for a relatively minor part of the product? Anyway, I know what happens with my old gadgets: Pimp the RAM and HDD and give away/use as NAS thing, or if they are incapable of being used as such, bottom of drawer. I don't throw things away.
Besides this, surely this ridiculously cluttered web page is also causing vast quantities of environmental damage; it still takes energy to get the packets through.
So, as far as I can see, you want our computers to catch fire and our PVC Windows to be none existent. It is a sad fact that sometimes non-'green' products are simply the best at doing their job. Like, presumeably, the 1.3MW computer so the Met Office can predict what Al Gore will be doing in 10 years time, rather than just waiting for the next scare film to come out.
What make are your servers, pray?

By nuke the world - 3 July 2009 at 7:19pm

Your a memeber of this website, right? and you know Al Gore, so you've presumably seen his dvd. Do you think he made that dvd completely from renewable power and recycled video cameras?
No, he didn't use it all from green technology, because it's unavailable and financially impossible. Greenpeace are trying to make it possible.
Greenpeace are a type of charity, so maybe they don't use everything greenly. Perhaps, even a few of the higher-ups of greenpeace occasionally shop at tescos, but the aim is getting the message out!
The whole point is that they're getting governments and huge mega incorporations like e.on to become green, to take the lead.
And another question, how big do YOU think the internet is? Have you questioned facebook or Amazon or any other huge websites about their server? It's all about the message, and about making people do something. A single bolt in the machine being recycled won't make everyone else be green, it's not hypocritical, it's human, and physically possible, unlke your expectations.

By elkemp - 6 July 2009 at 6:24pm

They probably try as hard as they can down at the hq of greenpeace to be green. they try not to put finance first. It's hard to run an organization without that though.

By elkemp - 6 July 2009 at 6:26pm

Seems quite odd that your comparing Hitler's autobiography to an inconvenient truth. Next time you watch it, try fast-forwarding through the bits of Al Gore's family, that were put there to show that he is not perfect, that he is human, and that normal families such as his didn't understand the consequences, just like everyone else at that time. Look at the facts. What was he doing with those facts? TELLING people. Just like greenpeeace. He's getting the message out. How can we frown upon that because there not being eco-friendly, while others who arn't getting the message out are are using the same ammount of electricty and energy to chat online, or to shop for goods they don't really need?
Nuke the world in your head as much as you like, but don't inflict that hate on people who are trying to change it. they are only human, and are trying to do it as best they can.

By elkemp - 19 August 2009 at 8:27pm

So there's nothing wrong with Apple milling laptop cases from a single block of aluminium, increasing energy usage, but there is with companies daring not to be shamed into an expensive rejig for a relatively minor part of the product? Anyway, I know what happens with my old gadgets: Pimp the RAM and HDD and give away/use as NAS thing, or if they are incapable of being used as such, bottom of drawer. I don't throw things away. Besides this, surely this ridiculously cluttered web page is also causing vast quantities of environmental damage; it still takes energy to get the packets through. So, as far as I can see, you want our computers to catch fire and our PVC Windows to be none existent. It is a sad fact that sometimes non-'green' products are simply the best at doing their job. Like, presumeably, the 1.3MW computer so the Met Office can predict what Al Gore will be doing in 10 years time, rather than just waiting for the next scare film to come out. What make are your servers, pray?

By nuke the world - 3 July 2009 at 7:19pm

Your a memeber of this website, right? and you know Al Gore, so you've presumably seen his dvd. Do you think he made that dvd completely from renewable power and recycled video cameras? No, he didn't use it all from green technology, because it's unavailable and financially impossible. Greenpeace are trying to make it possible. Greenpeace are a type of charity, so maybe they don't use everything greenly. Perhaps, even a few of the higher-ups of greenpeace occasionally shop at tescos, but the aim is getting the message out! The whole point is that they're getting governments and huge mega incorporations like e.on to become green, to take the lead. And another question, how big do YOU think the internet is? Have you questioned facebook or Amazon or any other huge websites about their server? It's all about the message, and about making people do something. A single bolt in the machine being recycled won't make everyone else be green, it's not hypocritical, it's human, and physically possible, unlke your expectations.

By elkemp - 6 July 2009 at 6:24pm

They probably try as hard as they can down at the hq of greenpeace to be green. they try not to put finance first. It's hard to run an organization without that though.

By elkemp - 6 July 2009 at 6:26pm

Seems quite odd that your comparing Hitler's autobiography to an inconvenient truth. Next time you watch it, try fast-forwarding through the bits of Al Gore's family, that were put there to show that he is not perfect, that he is human, and that normal families such as his didn't understand the consequences, just like everyone else at that time. Look at the facts. What was he doing with those facts? TELLING people. Just like greenpeeace. He's getting the message out. How can we frown upon that because there not being eco-friendly, while others who arn't getting the message out are are using the same ammount of electricty and energy to chat online, or to shop for goods they don't really need? Nuke the world in your head as much as you like, but don't inflict that hate on people who are trying to change it. they are only human, and are trying to do it as best they can.

By elkemp - 19 August 2009 at 8:27pm