Apple has relisted all of its products with the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), following the public outcry over its decision to withdraw from the green registry.
EPEAT is the US government-backed group that is responsible for setting environmental standards for electronics. At the time, it was said Apple's decision to withdraw from the registry was due to the fact that its design direction was no longer consistent with EPEAT requirements.
Following the announcement, officials from the city of San Francisco said they will no longer allow the purchase of Apple products for any of their municipal agencies.
A key sticking point was that for a product to be considered “green”, it should be easy for an average person to disassemble it using everyday tools. Apple products have, however, become increasingly difficult to take apart. The Mac maker argued that many of its green innovations are not recognised by the EPEAT standard.
Senior VP of hardware engineering for Apple, Bob Mansfield, says in an open letter on the company's Web site: “We've recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognise that this was a mistake.”
“For example, Apple led the industry in removing harmful toxins such as brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride. We are the only company to comprehensively report greenhouse gas emissions for every product we make, taking into account the entire product lifecycle,” says Mansfield. He adds that Apple's computers are the “most energy-efficient computers in the world”.
Both EPEAT and Apple have said their relationship has become stronger as a result of the recent fallout, and that they will work together to evolve the green standards.
EPEAT CEO Robert Frisbee says: “We look forward to Apple's strong and creative thoughts on ongoing standards development. The outcome must reward new directions for both design and sustainability, simultaneously supporting the environment and the market for all manufacturers' elegant and high-performance products.”
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