One Rotten Apple Spoils the Whole Barrel: Why Macs Are bad for the Environment

We’ve all seen those Apple commercials where the old, boring guy is the PC and Justin Long is the “cool, younger and hipper” Mac. While they are creative they annoy us,(who on earth thought Justin Long was “cool”?), but that’s not why we’re writing this post.

This week, we’re highlighting an amazing campaign that Greenpeace has started called “Green my Apple”. Seems that the boring dude (Mr. PC) actually knows something about the environment that your Mac doesn’t. Apparently, Apple—that company we love for being fresh, edgy and giving us ipods in cute colors—is lagging behind everyone else in the green arena. Even worse, they don’t seem to care.

"You’re Toxic, I'm slippin’ under…"

Apple is failing the environment in 2 ways: Toxic Chemicals and in their lack of a “Take Back” program.

Toxic chemicals are actually a big problem in all electronics. One of the worst is the plastic Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) that is used in pretty much every computer. From its manufacture to its disposal, PVC emits toxic compounds. During the manufacture of PVC, dioxin and other pollutants that cause global warming are emitted into the air. When PVC reaches the end of its life, it is difficult to recycle. Thus, it can be either land-filled, where it leaches toxic additives, or incinerated, again emitting dioxin. Gross.

Which leads us to product take-back… If you’re making products with toxic chemicals, you should at least take them back in order to ensure they are disposed of in the most environmentally friendly manner. Over at Apple, the majority end up in toxic e-waste yards in Asia., exposing children in China and India to dangerous chemicals and polluting our air.

If all your friends jump off a bridge and institute take-back programs, would you?

Though not perfectly green yet, other companies, such as HP and Dell, have set a specific date to remove PVC from their products lines. Apple hasn't. Major brand-new product lines like the iPod nano and MacBook still contain loads of PVC.

Other computer and electronic companies also already have extensive take-back programs in place. HP’s program, first evaluates all the discarded equipment for re-use. In Canada, for example, HP donates functioning electronics to schools. The remaining non-reusable equipment is sent to a state of the art facility where the e-waste is processed and recycled.

Because of how poorly Apple fares in both the toxic chemical and take back departments, in an extensive and detailed study, they have been ranked the ABSOLUTE LOWEST out of the 14 major electronic companies for their eco-policies. The list is pretty interesting...See how everyone ranked (and why) .

Wait, you’re not asking me to give back my iPod, are you?

No…your tip for the week is a little easier than that. THIS WEEK write Steve Jobs a letter asking him to re-consider Apple’s dismal eco-policies. Don’t worry, we’ve got a link to a letter that’s already written (though you can edit it to your heart’s content) with a button to send it straight to him. The hope is that the more people who complain, the more Apple will get the message loud and clear. Click here to send your letter:

And since that was pretty easy, there’s one more thing we want you to do. Apple has been able to stay pretty under the radar with this—surprising considering this is in direct opposition with their young, clean and hip corporate branding. So whether you forward this post to your entire mailing list (something we always encourage you to do…we are always looking for new subscribers), send a video e-card to your friends about it or any of the other ideas at "Green my Apple".

We’re not trying to ruin Apple—I mean, who hasn’t revolutionized their workout with their iPod? We’re just trying to apply some good old fashioned consumer pressure to make them change their ways… and maybe their commercials.