Apple is doing more than any other electronics manufacturer to address the negative effect it has on the environment, according to Greenpeace, but the industry as a whole still faces major challenges to ensure a “toxic-free future”.
With sales of electronics gadgets set to reach 2.5 billion this year the charity’s Green Gadgets report underlines the need for global companies like Apple, Samsung and Dell to act with urgency to meet the “growing environmental crisis”.
Greenpeace says that the electronics industry still needs to embrace renewable energy and eliminate hazardous chemicals from its manufacturing processes.
Last month Apple bowed to pressure and banned two dangerous chemicals that were exposing hundreds of thousands of staff in China to a greater risk of cancer, nerve damage and paralysis from its final assembly plants.
The toxins, still widely used by other manufacturers, include n-hexane, which is usually used to clean smudges from screens prior to packing them in boxes, and benzene, which is used to coat certain electronic components.
Some companies are moving slowly despite increasing pressure to adopt more “green” manufacturing processes, but Greenpeace International campaigner Tom Dowdall said that Apple had made greater steps than its competitors.
“Apple has shown us a glimpse of what is possible, leading the industry on the elimination of the worst chemicals and starting to address the huge environmental impact of electronics manufacturing,” he said.
“But this is just the beginning - major industry players should take up the challenge to create truly sustainable products and help us build a greener future.”
More than half of the mobile phone market - represented by Samsung, Apple and Nokia - is now free from the worst hazardous substances: Polyvinylchloride (PVC) and Brominated flame retardants.
However, Apple remains the only company to have eliminated the use of these substances in all its products.
Greenpeace said that Samsung, the world’s biggest electronics company, has failed to meet its elimination goals for products beyond mobiles, joining Dell in backtracking on previous public phase out commitments. Samsung did not respond to a request for comment.
A Dell spokesman said: "We actively consider the environment at every stage of the product lifecycle and seek sustainable materials when viable alternatives exists. Our sustainable approach to design has been validated with awards such as ISRI’s 2014 Design for Recycling Award and earlier this year we worked with UL Environment to achieve the first third-party validation for our closed-loop recycling system. There’s always more that can be done, and we’ll continue to work alongside our partners and suppliers to advocate for sustainable business practices in line with our 2020 Legacy of Good Plan."
Overall, electronics companies are failing to address their growing carbon footprint, said Greenpeace. The manufacturing of phones, laptops and other devices requires a huge amount of energy and is concentrated in East Asia where coal dominates energy production.
Some companies, like Lenovo and Huawei, have taken first steps with small solar installations on Chinese factories, while Apple is planning the first 100 per cent renewable energy factory to make iPhone screens.
“As a hotbed of innovation, the electronics industry is perfectly placed to reimagine how our phones, laptops and TVs are made and sold. Companies should be designing for the future, not the dump. Toxic-free, durable electronics made with renewable energy shouldn't be a dream but a reality,” said Dowdall.