The Manufacturer Magazine : Promoting best practice in Manufacturing

Analysis: To whom much is given

Manufacturing News, Source : The Manufacturer US
Published : 17 May 2007 16:25

By Manufacturer Managing Editor Bud Sadler
Criticized for environmental unfriendliness, Apple Computer has made nice for now.

After being taken to task by environmental groups, shareholders, and investors for its green performance, Apple decided to push back.

Greenpeace had criticized the company for a host of transgressions, including the use of hazardous substances such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in its products and a lackluster recycling program. In a recent scorecard, the activist group ranked Apple below consumer electronics makers Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Nokia, and Sony.

That must have stung. Apple has long been a darling of the crunchy set. Just a year ago, Apple was named a “Forward Green Leader,” one of the top 10 environmentally progressive companies recognized by the Sierra Club, largely on the basis of its recycling program, which featured environmentally friendly disposal of old Macs (with the purchase of a new one) and domestic recycling.

But Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs knows which side his bread is buttered on. Rather than attack the objectivity and scientific basis for the scorecard, which have been questioned by some bloggers, Jobs instead addressed the points that were raised. In an open letter posted on the company’s website (“A Greener Apple”), Jobs explained that Apple is taking steps to eliminate mercury, arsenic, BFRs, and PVC from its products and promised that its recycling program would be expanded. He also apologized for not keeping the public up to date on the company’s efforts and promised to do better in that regard, and he set deadlines for the improvements.

Apparently it was just what people were waiting to hear. Greenpeace applauded Apple’s response, while urging Jobs to do more: “Go green to the core!”

Manufacturers can learn from Apple’s experience. This is the new reality. People want industry to clean up its environmental act, and companies can gain an advantage by doing so voluntarily, before their actions are seen as a knee-jerk response to outside pressure or legislation. Get out front with your changes while there’s an economic advantage in doing so. Those restaurants that went smoke-free before no-smoking laws were passed in their town held a similar advantage. Don’t be just “in compliance”; be a green leader. And be sure to deliver on what you promise. You’ll be held to it.

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