Apple Makes U-Turn to Rejoin EPEAT Environmental Standard

16 July 2012 Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has made a dramatic u-turn on its controversial decision walk away from the EPEAT environmental standards programme, which assesses a product's recyclability as one measure of its sustainable credentials. The original decision to quit the scheme had prompted significant speculation as to the company's motives, with many voicing the opinion that it had been caused by difficulties in meeting passing the recyclability aspect of the standard with its newer, products such as the MacBook Pro Retina, which feature highly integrated and difficult to dismantle assemblies. "I am very happy to announce that all of Apple's previously registered products, and a number of new products, are back on the EPEAT registry," commented Robert Frisbee CEO of EPEAT in an open letter. In a statement regarding its decision to rejoin the scheme Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of hardware engineering at the company said: "We've recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognise that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT." "Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry. In fact, our engineering teams have worked incredibly hard over the years to make our products even more environmentally friendly, and much of our progress has come in areas not yet measured by EPEAT," he continued. Mansfield went on to cite Apple's removal of harmful toxins such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from its products. The senior vice president also claimed that Apple is the only company to comprehensively report greenhouse gas emissions for every product it makes, taking into account the entire product lifecycle. "And we've removed plastics wherever possible, in favour of materials that are more highly recyclable, more durable, more efficient and longer lasting," he added. Mansfield also pointed out that Apple's products are among most energy efficient computers in the world and that its entire product line exceeds the stringent ENERGY STAR 5.2 government standard. Update required "We think the IEEE 1680.1 standard could be a much stronger force for protecting the environment if it were upgraded to include advancements like these. This standard, on which the EPEAT rating system is based, is an important measuring stick for our industry and its products," he explained. "Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience, and we look forward to working with EPEAT as their rating system and the underlying IEEE 1680.1 standard evolve," concluded Mansfield. Meanwhile, EPEAT's Frisbee added: "We look forward to Apple's strong and creative thoughts on ongoing standards development. The outcome must reward new directions for both design and sustainability, simultaneously supporting the environment and the market for all manufacturers' elegant and high-performance products." "An interesting question for EPEAT is how to reward innovations that are not yet envisioned with standards that are fixed at a point in time. Diverse goals, optional points awarded for innovations not yet described, and flexibility within specified parameters to make this happen are all on the table in EPEAT stakeholder discussions," he concluded. Read More Will Decision to Abandon 'Green' Rating System Cost Apple Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has controversially walked away from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) - an environmental rating system that measures recyclability as one measure to help identify greener computers and other electronic equipment. Apple to Build 5 MW Biogas Fuel Cell at Maiden Data Center Apple has filed its plans to build the 5 MW fuel cell project in Maiden, North Carolina, that will utilise biogas to offset its natural gas use and qualify as a renewable facility. Could Biogas Fuel Cells Make Landfills the Perfect Site for Data Centers? A recent blog post by Christian Belady, general manager of Data Center Services for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) shared the company's vision of grid independent fuel cell powered data centers, in which the data facility is located directly on its biogas fuel source such as a landfill or water treatment facility. Free Magazine Subscription Free Email Newsletter