Apple improves eco-friendly image
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 - 11:12:25
Although just a few years ago Apple was criticised for its environmentally and ethically unsound mobile manufacturing practices, major improvements have been made by the iPhone maker.
This is evidenced by its second place finish in the latest rankings released by campaigners at Greenpeace, which put Apple just behind Fairphone.
The report not only covers mobile phone manufacturers, but also a range of other major tech firms from across the consumer electronics spectrum. While none of the 17 organisations assessed was able to achieve an A grade, there were plenty sitting at the other end of the spectrum.
Samsung and Oppo were both notable for falling into the F grade category, while Huawei was only just ahead with a D grade. Sony fared slightly better, while Lenovo and Microsoft both received low C grades from analysts.
Ratings were based not only on the materials used to manufacture devices and the way in which factories are powered, but also the long term life cycle of the gadgets which are produced and how easy they are to recycle further down the line.
Greenpeace spokesperson, Gary Cook, said that although many of the businesses under scrutiny were seen as being innovative and modern, many of the other firms they rely on as part of their manufacturing supply chain are a long way behind the rest of the market in key areas.
Aside from building the iPhone range in a more sustainable way and making greater efforts to promote mobile phone recycling, Apple has managed to impress independent assessors by switching its data centres to renewable power sources, rather than relying on fossil fuels to keep them running. With hundreds of millions of customers relying on iCloud to store data, this is an important consideration and one which more manufacturers will be encouraged to take.
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