Greenpeace Bites Apple (STATS.org)

Greenpeace recently published a report criticizing technology companies for their "green" practices and singling out Apple in particular. However, their criticism doesn't appear to have much data behind it, as pointed out by STATS.org. Here are a few excerpts:

"The evidence appears to be that as Apple doesn’t reclaim its unwanted or out-of-date computers, and because computers are made with chemicals that can be toxic, it’s a disgrace."

"The problem is that Greenpeace doesn’t seem to want to prove its case with actual epidemiological or toxicological data. It simple asserts that

“Right now, poison Apples full of chemicals (like toxic flame retardants, and polyvinyl chloride) are being sold worldwide. When they're tossed, they usually end up at the fingertips of children in China, India and other developing-world countries. They dismantle them for parts, and are exposed to a dangerous toxic cocktail that threatens their health and the environment.”

"It requires a little more digging to find Apple’s actual scorecard, wherein one finds that Greenpeace don’t actually measure the amount of “toxic” chemicals in Apple’s products."

"It’s easy to dismiss Greenpeace’s campaign as a cheap, self-serving publicity stunt, but it’s a stunt that has succeeded, if you look at the massive and largely uncritical media coverage. And none of the news reports critically examined the scientific basis for Greenpeace’s claims, the methodology of its ranking – or the ethics of accusing a company of being an environmental polluter without providing actual proof that there is real exposure and real harm. Apple deserves better – and so do we."