Greenpeace has been publishing this “Guide to Greener Electronics ” for 3 years or so, where they rank the leading manufacturers of consumer electronics according to their stance and actions on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. I see it is an excellent example on how to provide consumers information that will help them to make  more enlightened consumer decisions. The info Greenpeace provides is the kind you will not be able to find from the typical tech magazines or websites, very seldom enviromental friendliness gets named as one of the criterias in the evaluation of this and that gadget.

Greenpeace also presents its findings in a very simple and understandable way (see image above), no need to go through hundred-page reports and hold a degree in physics in order to see which ones are good and which ones bad. Sure, that might mean that we will miss some aspects and the reasons behind them, but the ranking gives us a some perspective to the issue. In addition, taking Greenpeace’s fame I find the data they provide reliable, at least in the sense that the organisation does not have a reputation on being soft on the companies or favoring one over the other.

I do not know how much influence the listing has. For what it is worth, the only reason why I have not bought Nintendo‘s Wii is the position of the company in this ranking. However, I seem to be in the minority, despite the crisis Nintendo is making record profits. It is a bit of a shame, I find consumer activism one of the most efficient ways to get companies to change their policies to the better direction. However, if their is no activism, that is, people do not really care, then it is of little use. The consumer that is not enlightened is, well, only a consumer.

I suppose a little more publicity would not hurt either. The ranking always gets noticed in Finland, thanks to Nokia‘s position in the top. However, I have not really come across the news in any of the major news agencies (BBC did cover it last year though),  even though green topics in general seem to be very popular at the moment. It is possible that I have just missed them, but I was wondering could the reason be Greenpeace’s controversial reputation? If so, I find it a little bit odd. At least in this context, I find no reason for Greenpeace not to be objective. Then again, maybe it is the other way, maybe it is the big media that has become too close to the leading companies in the bottom of the ranking.

Tags: electronics, enlightened consumer, environment, Greenpeace, Nintendo

Category: Observations of some sort

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