Samsung, Toshiba top Greenpeace list

MANILA, Philippines - Asian consumer electronic companies Samsung and Toshiba surged to the top of the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics released recently, with phonemakers Nokia and Motorola also making significant improvements. The Greenpeace scorecard cited Nokia’s improvements in its take-back program in the Philippines and Thailand, but noted the firm’s program in India and Russia remained lacking. Motorola’s improvement in take-back and recycling operations in the Philippines, Thailand, and India also moved the company up from 14th to 12th position. Gaming company Nintendo, with a score of 0.3 out of 10, remained in the cellar since the previous Greenpeace survey three months ago. It managed a paltry score of 0.3 based on its chemicals management policy but scored zero for all other criteria. Samsung’s consistency in their practices and policies kept the company score stable. Meanwhile, Toshiba climbed from the sixth spot by improving its ranking with its Individual Producer Responsibility, in which each of its units take care of electronic waste produced from its discarded products. The South Korean tech firm shared the same score of 7.7 out of 10 with Japan’s Toshiba. Philips, Panasonic, and Sharp continued to ignore their responsibility for e-waste arising from their products, according to Greenpeace. “Until now the Guide has ranked companies’ policies and practices on toxic chemicals and electronic-waste (e-waste). Future editions will see the criteria expanded to include energy consumption, as well as tightened criteria on toxic chemicals and e-waste," Greenpeace said in a statement. The list was first launched in August 2006 as a challenge to electronic companies to “green" their products, from production to disposal. Since then, Greenpeace said the world’s leading consumer electronic brands have undergone much improvement in their policies on toxic chemicals and e-waste. But Greenpeace said the electronic industry must address the environmental impact of its operations and products on the climate as well as toxic chemicals and e-waste. Next quarter, Greenpeace said it will rank brands against a new energy efficiency criteria to encourage the industry to reduce its carbon footprint. “Companies have to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products—from production, through manufacture and to the very end of their products’ lives," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Toxics Campaigner Beau Baconguis. - GMANews.TV