James Delahunty
9 Jan 2009 22:27
In the past few years, more and more attention has been placed on how environmentally-friendly tech gadgets and products are, and how eco-aware their manufacturers are. At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, green mania has come out like never before, with corporations touting the low-energy consumption of products, or the eco-friendly chemicals that are contained within.
Reducing the power consumption of tech products is increasingly becoming a target for activists. "Electronics are in fact much more environmentally friendly today than even five years ago," Jeff Omelchuck, director of the Green Electronics Council, told Reuters. The Green Electronics Council provides an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) certification for computers.
The goal however is sustainability, which requires products to leave no adverse impact on the environment throughout their lives, right from manufacturing to recycling. "Companies are making products greener because the market expects them to," Omelchuck added.
However, environmental activists - who are notorious for pushing the bar - argue that while manufacturers are focusing on energy efficiency of their products, they will still ultimately fail as "green" products if they use toxic batteries or cannot be recycled. As always, wherever there is a multi-billion dollar industry, and a "green" controversy, you will find Greenpeace.
"Consumers shouldn't have to choose between products that are incredibly green in one area, but grey in another," said Casey Harrell, a toxics campaigner for Greenpeace International. Harrell had some kind words for the industry which is trying hard to clean up its goods, but commented that the absence of an international standard will make it tough for consumers to find the most green product.
Greenpeace picked out about 50 products for testing, and found that Lenovo's L2440x monitor, Sharp's LC-52GX5 TV, Samsung's F268 mobile phone, Nokia's 6210 smartphone and Toshiba's Portege R600 laptop were the greenest in their categories.