Apple going green the new eco-tech reality

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 04 May 2007 19:12

Science - Climate

This week, Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, outlined how green Apple already is, and how green they’ll be in the future – but is it, and other efforts, enough?

Looking for leadership in the technology community? One place it has been emanating from in spades for years is Apple, with Steve Jobs doing his best to set the technological pace.

A few simple examples? The graphic operating system as a standard feature, which has evolved into OS X, which today’s versions of XP, Vista and Linux are all compared to and compared against. All-in-one computers, re-popularized in 1984 after initial attempts with earlier ‘dumb terminals’ with the original all-in-one Mac and then again in the late 90s with the iMac, and then once more with the flat panel iMacs of today.

Then there's the portable music player, which has morphed into a movie player and now the upcoming iPhone. Webcams as standard. The removal of the floppy disk drive. Simple yet easy to use software to play, record and edit photos, videos and music. IPTV with the Apple TV… and no doubt more.

Of course, Apple has had plenty of competitors who have all done or tried to do the same things – and plenty of other technologies besides. But now, the new technological race in our climatologically challenge and globally warming world is that of eco-friendliness, recyclability, ecologically safe construction, energy efficiency and more.

The race to go green has begun in earnest, with Jobs’ “green manifesto”, coming only a few months after Jobs’ “DRM manifesto”, positioning him as the thought and action leader in the technological space. As noted by Jobs himself, competing computer manufacturers are also implementing the same kinds of green measures.

The European RoHS or ‘reduction of hazardous substances’ program to eliminate or dramatically reduce usage of high levels of cadmium, hexavalent chromium and brominated flame retardants in the plastics and materials of computers and consumer electronic devices are supposed to have been implemented by most technology companies worldwide wanting to sell products into the European Union, effectively making it a world standard.

Jobs noted how some companies are using loopholes in EU laws to continue shipping technology that doesn’t follow the ‘letter and spirit’ of the RoHS regulations. Shining the light on these companies will hopefully shame and spur them into ecologically friendly action sooner rather than later.

Jobs also spoke of the reduction or elimination of lead, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), BFR’s (Brominated flame retardants), arsenic and mercury from Apple products, and how other companies are doing the same, but with some categories will only stop use up to a year later than Apple plans or has already done.

Jobs also spoke about the recyclability of Apple’s products, and of recycling discounts, at Apple stores, for iPods, with the program to be rolled to other Apple retailers this year, in the US and presumably in the rest of the world as well.

But what comes next? Surely more needs to be done... and is being done - from new developments in cold fusion to the energy 'arms race' we all need to win. Read onto page 2 to find out!