Apple has been widely criticized by the environmental group Greenpeace over the past few years as a result of the fact that, in their view, Apple was not doing enough to eliminate toxic chemicals in the production process. While Greenpeace places Apple at the bottom of its list of technology companies, Jobs has indicated that after an investigation “Apple is ahead, or will be ahead of most of its competitors in these areas very soon.”
One of the ways that Jobs has indicated that the company could achieve that goal is by removing mercury from its displays. To do this, Apple will introduce its first Macs with LED backlight technology throughout 2007. Jobs has indicated that Apple’s ability to completely remove fluorescent lamps from all of its monitors depends on how quickly the LCD industry can perform the task. transition to LED backlighting for large screens.
Apple currently runs a variety of recycling programs in countries where more than 82 percent of all Macs and iPods are sold. Apple has also indicated that all environmental waste is processed within the borders of the United States.
Currently, and before the new plan goes into effect, Apple is close to Dell and HP in their recycling programs.
Jobs has also indicated that producers must be aware of the materials they use. Unlike most competitors, Apple uses aluminum, stainless steel, and high-strength plastics that meet the demands of recyclers.
Jobs has also outlined his plans to eliminate or reduce the use of other chemicals, including arsenic, mercury, PVC, fire retardants and other products.
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