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Information Technology News Greenpeace sinks the slipper into Nintendo
Information Technology News Greenpeace sinks the slipper into Nintendo | Greenpeace sinks the slipper into Nintendo |
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| by Stephen Withers | |
| Wednesday, 28 November 2007 | |
  
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The reason is - as we found out earlier this year when the organisation criticised Apple - the scores have nothing to do with what's actually in the products or what companies actually do in terms of recycling. Instead, companies are scored on what they say. Nintendo's 0/10 is therefore a criticism of it not proclaiming its green credentials from the rooftops. For example, it could well be that Nintendo's products are already PVC- and BFR-free (a 'double points' criterion in Greenpeace's list), but because there has been no public announcement the company is labelled "bad". Until Greenpeace gets its act together and actually starts examining products to determine what materials and chemicals are present, it would do well to avoid further comment in this area. The other part of the organisation's scoring system looks at recycling, and it must be said that it does have a valid point about scoring manufacturers on whether they provide information about 'takeback' programs in all countries where the products are sold. Such a program without publicity is a waste of time, and Greenpeace does well to draw attention to any shortcomings. But since all the other criteria are based on what companies say, not what they do, the overall scores are meaningless. According to Greenpeace, a company that says it collects and recycles 0.1 percent of its products is doing a better job than one that actually takes back 50 percent of its products. All told, this is a nasty form of greenmail, and Greenpeace deserves to be roundly condemned for it. It smacks of the "if you're not with us, you're part of the problem" mentality so often found among single-interest pressure groups. For what it's worth, the current guide ranks electronics companies in the following order: Sony Ericsson and Samsung Sony, Dell and Lenovo Toshiba, LGE, Fujitsu-Siemens Nokia (would have been equal first if not for failing 'mystery recycler' tests in certain countries) and HP Apple Acer Panasonic and Motorola (also penalised in 'mystery recycler' tests in certain countries) Sharp Microsoft Philips Nintendo |
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