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Apple has been forced into an embarrassing volte-face, announcing that it would rejoin the American EPEAT environmental ratings system for electronic products just days after leaving it.
Apple has been forced into an embarrassing volte-face, announcing that it would rejoin the American EPEAT environmental ratings system for electronic products just days after leaving it.
The reversal of the announcement, described by a senior Apple executive as a "mistake", was apparently forced on the company by government agencies, schools and scientists which use EPEAT – the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool – to certify the environmental credentials of computers they are considering purchasing.
The reversal of the announcement, described by a senior Apple executive as a "mistake", was apparently forced on the company by government agencies, schools and scientists which use EPEAT – the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool – to certify the environmental credentials of computers they are considering purchasing.
Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice-president of hardware engineering, wrote in an open letter on Apple's site that "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. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT."
Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice-president of hardware engineering, wrote in an open letter on Apple's site that "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. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT."
He insisted that "our commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever".
He insisted that "our commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever".
Apple's move last week looked as though it could lead to a domino effect in which companies and government contractors might stop buying its products due to the lack of EPEAT certification. The city of San Francisco announced that it would stop buying Apple computers, and then to reassessments by US government agencies. Although Apple's corporate sales are far smaller than rivals such as HP and Dell, such contracts are still important both for reputation and long-term stability.
Apple's move last week looked as though it could lead to a domino effect in which companies and government contractors might stop buying its products due to the lack of EPEAT certification. The city of San Francisco announced that it would stop buying Apple computers, and then to reassessments by US government agencies. Although Apple's corporate sales are far smaller than rivals such as HP and Dell, such contracts are still important both for reputation and long-term stability.
EPEAT only applies to computers, but not tablets or phones. It was introduced in 2006, and is based on the IEEE 1680.1 standard. That covers elements such as the reduction or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, material selection, design for end of life (wheh the product is replaced), product longevity/life extension, energy conservation (during manufacture and use), end-of-life management, corporate performance and packaging.
EPEAT only applies to computers, but not tablets or phones. It was introduced in 2006, and is based on the IEEE 1680.1 standard. That covers elements such as the reduction or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, material selection, design for end of life (wheh the product is replaced), product longevity/life extension, energy conservation (during manufacture and use), end-of-life management, corporate performance and packaging.
Apple has in the past year touted its own green credentials, most recently by announcing an internal initiative to use cleaner energy sources for its data farms in North Carolina. But it has come in for criticism from third parties for the design of its laptop products, notably the top-end Retina MacBook Pro, in which the RAM and storage are glued into the machine and are not user-serviceable or replaceable.
Apple has in the past year touted its own green credentials, most recently by announcing an internal initiative to use cleaner energy sources for its data farms in North Carolina. But it has come in for criticism from third parties for the design of its laptop products, notably the top-end Retina MacBook Pro, in which the RAM and storage are glued into the machine and are not user-serviceable or replaceable.
EPEAT bills itself as a global registry to which consumers can turn for information when shopping for greener electronics. According to EPEAT's website, its users include federal and state government agencies, colleges, and several private corporations such as Ford and KPMG.
EPEAT bills itself as a global registry to which consumers can turn for information when shopping for greener electronics. According to EPEAT's website, its users include federal and state government agencies, colleges, and several private corporations such as Ford and KPMG.
Apple's decision this month to stop participating in the registry would have affected computer-related purchasing decisions by governments and universities because many them are required to use hardware that has been rated by EPEAT.
Apple's decision this month to stop participating in the registry would have affected computer-related purchasing decisions by governments and universities because many them are required to use hardware that has been rated by EPEAT.
The city of San Francisco, for example, has a policy that its computers, laptops and monitors must be EPEAT "gold" rated.
The city of San Francisco, for example, has a policy that its computers, laptops and monitors must be EPEAT "gold" rated.
Customers contacted Apple directly, which played a "critical part" in getting Apple back on the registry, said EPEAT chief executive Robert Frisbee.
Customers contacted Apple directly, which played a "critical part" in getting Apple back on the registry, said EPEAT chief executive Robert Frisbee.
"The scientific community in the US government are big users of Apple," Frisbee said, adding that they were "particularly influential" in convincing the tech giant to resume its participation.
"The scientific community in the US government are big users of Apple," Frisbee said, adding that they were "particularly influential" in convincing the tech giant to resume its participation.
Mansfield in his letter said that "Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience" and that Apple looked forward to working on the underlying IEEE 1680.1 standard used to build the tool.
Mansfield in his letter said that "Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience" and that Apple looked forward to working on the underlying IEEE 1680.1 standard used to build the tool.
Comments
25 comments, displaying first
16 July 2012 8:19AM
Was it embarrassing? I suppose it depends on your point of view. I dont think Apple really cares about being embarrassed.
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16 July 2012 8:38AM
Shows the strength of our buying power. More consumers need to do the same with other products to ensure companies are doing their best to lessen their impact on the environment.
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16 July 2012 9:11AM
Oh, I don't think Apple will make any changes whatsoever to their future designs as a result of this U-turn. If a device meets the standard, that's fine. If it doesn't, they'll work to get the standard changed. Apple are pretty confident of their green credentials.
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16 July 2012 9:17AM
Despite the u-turn, which I definitely welcome, I think last week's decision highlighted the contempt Apple have for EPEAT. And that, I believe, has not changed.
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16 July 2012 9:18AM
It isn't embarrassing to change your mind when you know you are wrong, it is embarrassing to stubbornly keep doing it! I think it is good they have the balls to admit they were wrong.
This will also serve to draw more attention to EPEAT and increase consumer awareness that it exists!
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16 July 2012 10:06AM
What no conspiracy theories here? Must be too early in the morning.
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16 July 2012 10:07AM
I hope (though I strongly doubt) that this will encourage Apple to take a look at their non-servicable lap-tops with soldered in RAM and SSDs, and iPads, pods and phones with glued in batteries to consider how these products could be mage more easily servisable and therefore more reparable and less environmentally damaging. But like I said, I'm not holding my breath.
Apple does some things brilliantly well, but their obsession with appearance can be their achilles heel (hence their usually terrible mice).
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16 July 2012 11:02AM
Payment had been due to EPEAT on July 1st. There is inference above that Apple blinked first but maybe they cut a deal?
Whatever, it does show that in the seemingly ever smaller real world looks aren't everything.
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16 July 2012 11:17AM
I have a theory about why the word 'embarrassing' was used but it's just not worth it.
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16 July 2012 12:37PM
It does bring up a debate about user recycling and industry recycling.
Apple have moved towards and could even excel at industrial scale recycling. Removing user recycling is certainly part and parcel of this.
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16 July 2012 12:47PM
Greenpeace has been made look stupid protesting against Apple
First they held a protest at a data centre powered by renewable energy
Then they got their maths wrong on energy usage.
duh
Link to this comment:
16 July 2012 1:13PM
And it seems Apple have decided to award their new 'retina' MBP the Gold EPEAT rating themselves. Valid(?) until EPEAT do a review. Sneaky.
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16 July 2012 1:44PM
Calls for a bonus, that does.
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16 July 2012 2:57PM
Looking at the latest updates to the Apple line, its is moving towards non upgradable hardwares for its devices, with soldiered RAM and SDD into the mother board........ i am pretty sure i will be the last guy to buy em.........
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16 July 2012 3:35PM
meestersmeeth 16 July 2012 8:19AM "Was it embarrassing? I suppose it depends on your point of view. I dont think Apple really cares about being embarrassed."
They may not care about being embarrassed but they do care about bad publicity. Apple has a fantastic public image from its products, this allows them to do many things other companies can only dream of, such as having high prices compared to rivals, or leaving out software or hardware. If this image were to slip Apple might find themselves slipping to where their rivals are, therefore it is in Apple's interest to be seen as the fashionable choice by looks and "green" credentials.
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16 July 2012 4:14PM
MacBooks are worse for the environment than originally thought: http://www.omdoubleg.com/entertainment/with-profits-up-apple-no-longer-worried-about-being-pc/
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16 July 2012 4:53PM
Thank goodness that the repairable nature of desktop PCs mean that they will never end up in landfill.
They quote Gartner and IDC, we aren't talking about market share we are talking about sales growth to loss.
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17 July 2012 3:03AM
Whatever keeps you warm at night, unit market share numbers are meaningless, revenue and profit share numbers aren't. Apple takes a third of the profit from the PC market more that Dell or HP or anyone else. You brought up total sales dude. Hoisted by your own petard. Great name by the way...
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17 July 2012 6:50AM
I forget who it was said there's no such thing as bad publicity. For the last 48 hours there has been a lot of discussion of the new MBP, including amongst government purchasers. And it was free!
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17 July 2012 10:25AM
If all of these new production methods 'trickle down' then current cheaper models will have a design advantage.
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17 July 2012 10:45AM
Slpping to where their rivals are? Over what? Retina MBP aside, 100% of the products Apple makes that it submits to EPEAT are Gold standard. No other tech company has that record.
They weren't embarrassed - they were making a point, in a very vocal and public way, that EPEAT's standards are well behind the times now and Apple didn't want to be held to out-of-date standards as it holds back their design progressions.
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17 July 2012 11:12AM
but surely you love Apple really ShockJockey, without them in your life who would you rant about?
Link to this comment:
17 July 2012 4:31PM
Seems that EPEAT told the told the Wall Street Journal that Apple the new MacBook Pro and had made "a credible claim that it qualified".
So this would means that industrial recycling can outweigh user recycling. It certainly has some positives even if it costs.
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Tech giant makes U-turn just days after leaving electronic products standard in move executive described as a 'mistake'
Apple has been forced into an embarrassing volte-face, announcing that it would rejoin the American EPEAT environmental ratings system for electronic products just days after leaving it.
The reversal of the announcement, described by a senior Apple executive as a "mistake", was apparently forced on the company by government agencies, schools and scientists which use EPEAT – the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool – to certify the environmental credentials of computers they are considering purchasing.
Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice-president of hardware engineering, wrote in an open letter on Apple's site that "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. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT."
He insisted that "our commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever".
Apple's move last week looked as though it could lead to a domino effect in which companies and government contractors might stop buying its products due to the lack of EPEAT certification. The city of San Francisco announced that it would stop buying Apple computers, and then to reassessments by US government agencies. Although Apple's corporate sales are far smaller than rivals such as HP and Dell, such contracts are still important both for reputation and long-term stability.
EPEAT only applies to computers, but not tablets or phones. It was introduced in 2006, and is based on the IEEE 1680.1 standard. That covers elements such as the reduction or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, material selection, design for end of life (wheh the product is replaced), product longevity/life extension, energy conservation (during manufacture and use), end-of-life management, corporate performance and packaging.
Apple has in the past year touted its own green credentials, most recently by announcing an internal initiative to use cleaner energy sources for its data farms in North Carolina. But it has come in for criticism from third parties for the design of its laptop products, notably the top-end Retina MacBook Pro, in which the RAM and storage are glued into the machine and are not user-serviceable or replaceable.
EPEAT bills itself as a global registry to which consumers can turn for information when shopping for greener electronics. According to EPEAT's website, its users include federal and state government agencies, colleges, and several private corporations such as Ford and KPMG.
Apple's decision this month to stop participating in the registry would have affected computer-related purchasing decisions by governments and universities because many them are required to use hardware that has been rated by EPEAT.
The city of San Francisco, for example, has a policy that its computers, laptops and monitors must be EPEAT "gold" rated.
Customers contacted Apple directly, which played a "critical part" in getting Apple back on the registry, said EPEAT chief executive Robert Frisbee.
"The scientific community in the US government are big users of Apple," Frisbee said, adding that they were "particularly influential" in convincing the tech giant to resume its participation.
Mansfield in his letter said that "Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience" and that Apple looked forward to working on the underlying IEEE 1680.1 standard used to build the tool.
