Apple Slammed by Environment Watchdog

Apple products may be fantastically marketed and look great, but according to a recent study by environmental watchdog Climate Counts, the company is a serious environmental offender.

Although its website states that the company "recognizes its responsibility as a global citizen," Apple scored a pithy 11 out of 100 points on Climate Counts' 2008 survey of the environmental policies of large companies. Through attempts to identify problem areas, the Apple jumped up 9 points from last year's survey . However, the company lost huge marks for not acknowledging the extent of its carbon footprint. Ironically, having Al Gore as a board member has failed to induce the company to make any public statements in support of American environmental policies. (Source arstechnica.com)

Climate Counts' study is based upon information gathered by the 60 companies reviewed and made public on their websites or other news outlets. Microsoft, Apple's major competitor, racked up 38 points, while Apple remained the only of 12 electronics companies not recommended for eco-conscious consumers. (Source: crn.com)

The study contained four sections of assessment: Review, Reduce, Policy Stance, and Report. Apple scored 0/22 on Review, 8/56 on Reduce, 0/10 on Policy and 3/12 on Report. The watchdog concluded that Apple had little to no available information on its website to show consumers it was trying to improve its record. It conceded that the company had tried to investigate the impact some products had on global warming, but not to any meaningful extent. There was no policy statement nor was there sufficient information about how the company was combating global warming. (Source: climatecounts.org)

Although the study seems to have made a big splash, it does not account for initiatives in progress. By looking only at what information is made public, Climate Counts has created a less-than-exhaustive hit list of environmental offenders. Simply because the NGO found no information on the website about Apple's attempts to assess the global impact of its products does not indicate that there are none.

What the report shows is that Apple needs to improve dialogue between itself and consumers about its products and their environmental impact. Climate Count has called attention to social responsibility among major corporations, but remains a less-than-convincing condemnation of Apple and its products.