Greenpeace recently published its "2017 Guide to Greener Electronics Company Report Card," and it reveals there is room for improvement among the consumer electronics manufacturing industry in terms of reducing environmental impact. The report examined 17 top manufacturers of electronic devices. The highest grade was a "B" and only two companies achieved it. The highest percentage - 88 percent - fell in the "C" and "D" range.
The purpose of the report is "to challenge the IT sector to take responsibility for its rapidly growing footprint on the planet." (Guide to Greener Electronics, 2017) Greenpeace calls this effort the "Rethink IT" campaign and the assessment looked at three main categories - Energy, Resource Reduction and Chemicals - that are further broken down into 13 subcategories. Considering the billions of electronic devices flooding the market every year and the costs associated with manufacturing them, both economic and environmental, the Greenpeace report makes a strong case for manufacturers to work harder to reduce their environmental impact.
Greenpeace guide to what consumers can do:
- Choose a well-made, long lasting, repairable product
- Hold on to your device as long as it works
- Repair, rather than replace
- When you must replace, recycle your old device
- Let IT brand know you want devices design with our planet in mind
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