Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics: India’s Wipro is No.1
Toshiba, Samsung, Dell earn penalty points
May 28, 2010
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/releases/greenpeace-s-guide-to-greener
BANGALORE, India — Version 9 of Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics (1)
has Azim Premji–led Wipro sharing the number one position with the world’s
leading mobile phone manufacturer Nokia while Samsung, Toshiba and Dell have
earned penalty points.
The Indian IT major Wipro shares top pedestal with Nokia scoring 7.5 while
Sony Ericsson and Indian software major HCL have been ranked second and third
respectively.
“The presence of two Indian companies in the top five greener electronic
companies in the world shows that Indian companies are ready to take a
leadership role and will compete with the best in class in cleaning their
supply
chain and greening their products” said Abhishek Pratap, Toxics Campaigner
Greenpeace India.
Samsung, Toshiba and Dell picked up penalty points for backtracking on their
self proposed timelines to eliminate some of the worst toxic substances from
their products.
The poor performance of these companies is in contrast to their competitors
like
Apple and HP, HCL and Wipro who are making real progress by offering their
customers a range of greener electronics.
HCL also improved on its score in the guide which helped it climb to the third
spot including all Indian and multinational companies. Both Wipro and HCL
launched PVC and BFR free products earlier this year (2) while two other Indian
companies, Zenith and PCS Technology could not improve on their score and
remain
at the bottom of the guide.
The latest guide was launched in India after the recent Greenpeace protest at
Dell’s Headquarters in Texas, US.
Toshiba and Samsung were awarded new penalty points in the latest guide along
with Dell and LG electronics.. Samsung was awarded two penalty points for
backtracking on its commitment to eliminate BFRs and PVCs from its products. It
earned additional penalty point for misleading customers and Greenpeace by not
admitting that it would not meet its public commitment of meeting the timeline.
within the agreed upon timeline[MSOffice1] . Dell continues to receive penalty
points by failing to launch any new products free from PVC & BFR.
It has also failed to provide a roadmap to phase out these chemicals from its
new products (3).
“These industry giants cannot claim to be green until they live up to their
commitments to eliminate substances from their products that are harmful to the
environment and public health,” said Abhishek Pratap. “Companies that are still
using PVC and BFRs in their products need to follow the example set by Apple,
HP, HCL and Wipro, who are phasing out these toxic chemicals,” he said.
On the upside, the guide also showcases environmental leadership within the
electronics industry by an alliance of companies. They have gone a step beyond
elimination of hazardous chemicals and using their considerable influence to
advocate for the legislation which will eliminate future use of these toxic
chemicals.
“It’s encouraging to see several companies understanding the urgent need for
legislation that would enable the complete removal of these substances,” said
Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner Iza Kruszewska. (4)
Related Reports
* Greenpeace International Electronics Ranking Guide 15th Edition
May 28, 2010
* Greenpeace India Electronics Ranking Guide 9th Edition
May 28, 2010
