Apple has made a big deal of its supposed eco-friendly credentials at Macworld in San Francisco this week, with the release of the new 17-inch MacBook Pro fronting the company's latest eco-friendly focused PR campaign.
However, Greenpeace has taken issue with Apple's rush to embrace the green ticket.
Greenpeace posts on its site this week: "Mac fans in our office (and there are more than a few) were getting excited yesterday - we were expecting an announcement from MacWorld 2009 in San Francisco, confirming that Apple would as promised be removing all toxic PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from its entire new product range."
Green tech irony
TechRadar has already pointed out the irony of the consumer electronics industry embracing the green movement being the big news of the week at CES 2009 - coming as it does from the most excessive, debauched, 24-hour-neon-light-drenched city in the western world!
The post on the Greenpeace website continues: "We've had the word from the man himself - Apple CEO Steve Jobs - from as far back as May 2007 that toxic PVC and BFRs in Mac computers would be history by the end of 2008.
"His enthusiam for the subject, of course, initially stemmed from the success of our 'Green My Apple' campaign, which generated huge support and discussion from Mac addicts worldwide."
The campaign generated a very positive sounding response from Jobs himself back in October 2008
Greenpeace disappointed with Jobs
Greenpeace is therefore disappointed with Apple's showing at Macworld 2009, noting that the "only new product Apple has announced so far at this year's Macworld was a new MacBook Pro with reduced amounts of PVC and BFRs.
"Which is good, but not what Apple had promised for 2009 and no substantial further progress than the MacBooks announced in October."
For more info on what your tech-obsession may well be doing to the rapidly-disappearing natural world beyond your window check out Greenpeace's green electronics guide
