Want to know who's really pulling their finger out to give us products that cause the least environmental damage - then look no further.

Our ranking guide, published quarterly since 2006, shows clearly how the 18 top consumer electronics companies line up. But now we've produced a new chart showing which of those companies have eliminated the most harmful chemicals from their product ranges.

Roll over the stars in the chart below to see product details, and click the company name to visit their webpage about reducing harmful chemicals.

When Hewlett Packhard staff arriving for work at the company's California HQ checked their phone messages yesterday morning, they found a recorded message from Star Trek's Captain James T Kirk waiting for them. Actor William Shatner urged them to question their boss, Mark Hurd, about the reasons why HP recently reneged on its promise to phase out dangerous toxic substances from its computers by 2009.

If saving our climate was a game of poker and all the various stakeholders - our heads of state, the energy industry, environmentalists, etc - were players, there would be one player at the table who hasn't yet shown their cards. The hold-out in this particular game is the Information Technology (IT) Industry, a player who is sitting on a lot of chips in a high stakes game, despite holding a winning hand.

E-waste: as much as 4,000 tonnes is being dumped every hour

Our second greener products survey, "Green Electronics: the search continues", released today, assesses the progress made in 2008 by consumer electronics companies on their commitments to green their products. Fifteen major electronics brands submitted 50 of their most environmentally friendly new products - mobile and smart phones, televisions, computer monitors, notebook and desktop computers, and game consoles for evaluation. The survey assesses the products on their use of hazardous chemicals, energy efficiency, overall product lifecycle (recyclability and upgradeability) and other factors such as the promotion of environmental friendliness and innovation.

Apple's detox promise: close but not quite there yet

Mac fans in our office (and there are more than a few) were getting excited yesterday - we were expecting an announcement from MacWorld 2009 in San Francisco, confirming that Apple would as promised be removing all toxic PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from its entire new product range.

Confidence was high that this was going to happen because we've had the word from the man himself - Apple CEO Steve Jobs - from as far back as May 2007 that toxic PVC and BFRs in Mac computers would be history by the end of 2008. His enthusiam for the subject, of course, initially stemmed from the success of our Green my Apple campaign, which generated huge support and discussion from Mac addicts worldwide.

This time last year Steve Jobs was ignoring our calls for a greener Apple, but yesterday he revealed the new MacBook Air – the thinnest notebook on the planet and Apple’s greenest computer so far.

It uses less brominated fire retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but it hasn’t eliminated them entirely. Had it done so, it would have made Apple an ecological leader.

Question: switching from a computer running on Windows to one running on Linux could slash computer-generated e-waste levels by 50 per cent. True or false?

It's that time again; we've just released our latest quarterly Greener Electronics Guide, which ranks manufacturers on their toxics and recycling policies and practices.

One of the most serious consequences of the dramatic floods which swamped parts of England in recent weeks was the loss of clean drinking water. Even now that the citizens of Tewkesbury have running water once again, it will be a few more days before they can safely start drinking their tap water.

Sometime yesterday, something quite remarkable appeared on the Apple homepage that has caused a flurry of excitement. Take a look - see that green apple down in the bottom left? That wasn't there this time yesterday and behind it is a statement from no less than Steve Jobs, addressing many of the issues that Mac users across the world have been highlighting as part of our Green My Apple campaign.