At MacWorld last January, I walked out the front door of the South convention center and walked straight into a guy from Greenpeace wearing an enormous Green Apple suit. He was not smiling, he was warm and tired... but then a buddy appeared next to him and started telling me how in so many areas of business and innovation Apple was such an industry leader, and that they were not remotely the greenest tech company out there, in fact they were allegedly one of the not so green. This startled me, not because I had done any actual research prior to hearing this (I had done none), but because with all the other reasons I look to Apple as a leader, an innovator, and a revolutionary company I made the errant assumption that they were probably a good, clean, green company, too. I don't know why I assumed that... probably the same reason I assume they have good employee benefits programs, a solid employee relations track record, good vacation plan... I don't know anything about how Apple is on these fronts either, but their public image had me thinking that before I even asked the questions.
Greenpeace website on Apple at MacWorld 2007: "It was holy week in Apple land at the MacWorld Expo. But while we waited hopefully for Steve Jobs to announce better environmental practices, less toxic contents, and the greener apple we've all been dreaming of, all we got was a phone. OK, it's a totally cool phone, but still, it's a phone. We want an industrial revolution!"
I was surprised to find out how un-green Apple was... and today, not surprised a bit to hop on Apple's website and see this image at the bottom. They have taken the recent publicity around this matter very seriously, have pledged to make huge changes, and have already initiated a sea change in company policy. Steve Jobs posted a statement on the Apple site, called "A Greener Apple" and had some things to say that made him start looking a lot more like Granny Smith than he ever did before. (That's a lame green/apple joke, not an age joke... for those of you who don't appreciate thin fruit metaphors.)
Jobs said: "Upon investigating Apple's current practices and progress towards these goals [a goal of being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products], I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas. Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well."
So... Which Toxic Chemicals Are We Talking About Here?
Some toxic chemicals that Apple is making huge strides toward cutting down on or eliminating are Lead, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Decabromodiphenyl Ether, Arsenic, Mercury, Polyvinyl Chloride, Brominated flame retardants, and they are refocusing their efforts in the area of recycling, and have an aggressive set of milestones set for themselves between today and 2010.
This open letter/report offers a lot of information about what Apple is doing in this area, and I must say, I'm glad to hear it, and not a moment too soon. This is really about the only time I'd ever wish someone would lose their job: To the poor, too-warm and non-smiley guy in the Green Apple suit at MacWorld last year... may you be freed from the pithy mantle you bare, from inside that 8 foot Granny may you burst forth into new areas and not be needed to drive that same point home about Apple in the very, very near future. May you truly find greener pastures.
Jobs on the future: "Today is the first time we have openly discussed our plans to become a greener Apple. It will not be the last. We will be providing updates of our efforts and accomplishments at least annually, most likely around this time of the year. And we plan to bring other environmental issues to the table as well, such as the energy efficiency of the products in our industry. We are also beginning to explore the overall carbon "footprint" of our products, and may have some interesting data and issues to share later this year."
Here's a PDF of the statement if you'd rather download and print.
