Greenpeace slams Nintendo, offers others faint praise

If handled properly, electronic waste, or e-waste, can serve as a valuable source for raw materials, but it can also be a major source of toxins. E-waste represents only two percent of the garbage in US landfills, but it accounts for 70 percent of overall toxic waste, according to Mother Jones magazine.

But that could change. Eight US states have passed laws requiring electronics manufacturers to take back and recycle their products. And last year, the United Nations launched an initiative to set global standards for e-waste recycling.

Greenpeace has seen some success in its public shaming of companies. The environmental group claimed victory last year in its campaign to pressure Apple to clean up its act. Its campaign, which included a spoof of Apple’s website, prompted a detailed response from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who pledged to change his company’s manufacturing and recycling policies.

But Greenpeace singled out Apple for not improving the environmental performance of its new version of the iPhone. In this video released last year released in 2007, Greenpeace blasts Apple for packing the iPhone with bromine, chlorine, and phthalates:

(Footage courtesy of Greenpeace.)

Greenpeace used a similar tactic when taking on game console manufacturers. As you can see in the video below, Greenpeace found that the Sony's Playstation 3, Microsoft's XBox 360, and Nintendo's Wii each tested positive for various hazardous chemicals. Greenpeace also showed that game manufacturers could easily replace these components with toxic-free materials.

(Footage courtesy of Greenpeace.)

Greenpeace hopes that it can provoke companies to race each other toward meeting its green criteria. In its press release, the group says:

With most companies now scoring less than 5/10, only a company that rises to the challenge of phasing out toxic chemicals, increasing the recycling rate of e-waste, using recycled materials in new products and reducing their impact on climate change can seriously hope to make the claim of being green.

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