Apple Unveils 'Industry's Greenest Notebook'

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/10/15/apple-unveils-industrys-greenest-notebook/

Apple is one company actually putting forth an effort to help change the sustainability of electronics. They have changed a lot of the products to contain far less toxic and hazardous materials. This was deffinately not easy and by no means lowered their cost of production. It is something Apple felt was needed and so far they are succeeding. So far Apple has introduced both the MacBook, 15-inch MacBook Pro and their new iPods, which are made from recyclable aluminum and come with LED-backlit displays containing no murcery and they are made with arsenic-free glass. Both new laptops meet Energy Star 4.0 requirements and contain no BFR's

(brominated flame retadants), which are said to cause cancer. To go with this, the internal cables and components are PVC free (polyvinyl chloride). When PVC is both produced or burned, it releases dioxins. These dioxins are "the most potent synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can cause cancer and harm the immune and reproductive systems."

Seeing all of the hazardous materials Apple has elimated from its products is huge. Although their price has not dropped, they have implemented some new standards which make their product far more recyclable than any other electronic. They have also implemented something they call a "take-back option." This take back option is which gives its customers the option of having them recycle thier old PCs regardless of who the manufacturer is. Apple will pay for all shipping necessary for you to recycle your old PC. This new option has shown really good results, "recycling volume grew 57 percent in 2007, and the recycling rate reached 18.4 percent of sales, according to Apple’s 2008 Environmental Update." This gives its customers more of a reassurance that the electronics are being disposed of properly and not shipped overseas.

According to this article, "recent research showed that one-third of adult Internet users think of Apple as the most eco-friendly consumer technology brand, compared with Dell at 21 percent and HP at 15 percent." This is very interesting seeing as HP is the number 1 ranked evironmentally friendly company in a Newsweek article from September 28, 2009. Overall, there is a lot that needs to be done in order for all electronic companies to be producing more sustainable products. This is definately a difficult area to be making stustainable, but so far there are several companies making huge efforts towards more sustainable products.