Apple is once again being bitten by Greenpeace, this time for
materials used in the high-demand iPhone handset.
According to the environmental group, tests run in the UK have
revealed the iPhone contains two types of hazardous substances -
toxic brominated compounds, indicating the presence of brominated
flame retardants (BFR), and hazardous polyvinyl chloride (PVC) -
which have already been eliminated by other mobile phone
makers.
Greenpeace claimed in a statement made on its Web site -
Missed call: the iPhone's hazardous chemicals - that an
independent scientific laboratory tested 18 internal and external
components of the iPhone and confirmed the presence of brominated
compounds in half of the samples, including in the phone's antenna,
in which compounds made up 10 percent of the total weight of the
flexible circuit board.
A mixture of toxic phthalates was found to make up 1.5 percent
of the PVC coating of the headphone cables, the group said.
Greenpeace further launched a YouTube video
showing the disassembly of an iPhone to prove its point.
According to the group, two of the phthalate plasticizers found
at high levels in the headphone cable are classified in Europe as
"toxic to reproduction, category 2" because of their ability to
interfere with sexual development in mammals. "While they are not
prohibited in mobile phones, these phthalates are banned from use
in all toys or childcare articles sold in Europe," Dr. David
Santillo, senior scientist at the Greenpeace Research Laboratories,
said in the statement. "Apple should eliminate the use of these
chemicals from its products range."
The Greenpeace disassembling also charges that the iPhone's
battery is glued and soldered in to the handset, hindering battery
replacement and separation for electronic waste recycling or
appropriate disposal.
Greenpeace sour on Apple
This is not first time Apple has been targeted by Greenpeace.
The consumer electronics maker has been labelled as sub par in
Greenpeace's "Guide to Greener Electronics" more than once and has
been noted as an exception to the overall green movement within the
electronics supply chain.
Furthermore, the organization has protested outside Apple stores
during MacWorld shows and started a grassroots campaign called
"Green my Apple" to encourage consumer disapproval of the company's
environmental practices.
"Steve Jobs has missed the call on making the iPhone his first
step towards greening Apple's products," Zeina Alhajj, Greenpeace
International toxics campaigner, said in the statement. "It seems
that Apple is far from leading the way for a green electronics
industry as competitors, like Nokia, already sell mobile phones
free of PVC."
According to Greenpeace, Nokia, which has been applauded by the
group before, is completely PVC free. Mobile phone makers Motorola
and Sony Ericsson were also credited by Greenpeace as having
products on the market with BFR free components. The group also
noted that while Nokia and Sony Ericsson have a global take-back
policy for their phones, Apple does not have a global free
take-back policy.
"With next month's European launch of the iPhone, Apple should
sell a version which is at least as green as the offerings from
Sony Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola," Greenpeace stated. "Only then
can loyal fans of Steve Jobs believe that his promises of a greener
Apple will bear any fruit. Right now Steve appears to have any
green product news 'on hold.'"
Apple could not be reached for comment on Greenpeace's claims,
however, Jobs and the company recently issued a statement claiming
that it is "ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its
competitors" when it comes to removing toxic materials from its new
products. In that statement, which Jobs titled "A Greener Apple,"
the well-known CEO noted the hazardous materials at issue and said,
"Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of PVC and BFRs in its
products by the end of 2008."
Of note, the company also includes Al Gore, former United States
Vice President and recent Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work on
the "climate crisis," on its board. Gore spoke to the engineering
community at April Embedded Systems Conference, encouraging their
involvement in finding environmentally sensible solutions.
Legal action initiated
At least one lawsuit has been spurred by Greenpeace's
allegations. The California-based Center for Environmental Health
(CEH) announced that, based on the data, it is initiating legal
action against Apple.
CEH noted that the levels of phthalates in the iPhone are a
violation of California law, and that under the state's Proposition
65 law, products that can expose consumers to phthalates or other
chemicals that are reproductive toxins or carcinogens must carry a
warning label.
"There is no reason to have these potentially hazardous
chemicals in iPhones" said Michael Green, executive director of
CEH, in a statement. "We expect Apple to reformulate their products
to make them safer from cradle to grave, so they don't pose a
threat to consumers, workers or the environment."
By Suzanne Deffree, News Editor - Electronic News
See also: Electronics Weekly's
WEEE Directive In Full
Force, a roundup of content related to the Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment regulations, and a
RoHS special, on
the European Directive regarding 'Restriction of Hazardous
Substances'.