05/09/2008, 2:30am, EDT
Friday, May 9th
Apple worst among electronics peers in climate policy
Google, Anheuser-Busch and Levi Strauss had the largest score improvement, each jumping over 20 points. Overall, Climate Counts said that new Scorecard shows a "real shift towards greater climate commitment across most industry sectors" — with 84 percent of scored companies improving their Climate Counts scores.
“Business is being pushed by consumers to do its part to solve the climate crisis,” said Gary Hirshberg, chair of Climate Counts and CEO of organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm. “The Scorecard allows consumers to make good climate decisions in their everyday purchases, and it’s having an impact.”
Apple, which improved its score from last year, was given a grade of 11 and was among the three that scored below 50, along with Nokia and Dell. Apple's ranking was well below the average score, which jumped 22 percent to 39 (from 30).
The companies were scored on a scale from zero to 100, based on 22 criteria that fall within four benchmarks: whether they measure their carbon footprint; what efforts they have made to reduce their own climate impact; whether they support or oppose global warming legislation; and what they disclose to the public about their work to address climate change. Efforts to reduce climate impact was valued the most (56 possible points), while public disclosure of a meaningful review of the company's impact global warming was second (22 possible points). Public disclosure was ranked third with 12 possible points and the company's policy stance was fourth with 12 possible points.
Apple did poorly in all four categories, but Climate Counts did focus on publicly available information. Climate Counts said that it found no publicly available information on Apple’s efforts to measure its company-wide impact on global warming (i.e., its greenhouse gas emissions or climate footprint) and thus gave the company zero points.
And while the non-profit found that Apple had completed analysis of the impact that many of its products have on global warming while and that it had "engaged with its employees and other companies on climate-related issues," it only gave Apple 8 out of a possible 56 points for its efforts.
Apple also received no points in the policy category as Climate Counts says it found no public information to suggest that Apple supports public policy that addresses climate change.
Filed under: industry
Other story tags: sony, Toshiba, HP, IBM, Nike, green, climate control, environment
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Bull
That's an interesting way to score a company. Giving it 0 points for not knowing anything about it and claiming it is not taking meaningful action. The only point that ClimateChange makes very clearly is that facts don't matter, appearances do. The very definition of "meaningful action" seems to be: "making promises publicly available."What ClimateCounts should do is change:"STUCK - A choice to avoid for the climate-conscious consumer. This company is not yet taking meaningful action on climate change."to"STUCK - We don't know jack about this company. We'll badmouth them to force them to do better climate-change related PR."What a great way to run an environmental agency. Read corporate press releases! Of course, trying to do some real research would just put too much strain on the environment.
Bull
That's an interesting way to score a company. Giving it 0 points for not knowing anything about it and claiming it is not taking meaningful action. The only point that ClimateChange makes very clearly is that facts don't matter, appearances do. The very definition of "meaningful action" seems to be: "making promises publicly available."
What ClimateCounts should do is change:
"STUCK - A choice to avoid for the climate-conscious consumer. This company is not yet taking meaningful action on climate change."
to
"STUCK - We don't know jack about this company. We'll badmouth them to force them to do better climate-change related PR."
What a great way to run an environmental agency. Read corporate press releases! Of course, trying to do some real research would just put too much strain on the environment.
here's a brilliant idea
if you don't have enough information to make an assessment, then DON'T!!!!
I suspect life cycle cost
...analysis might show the usable life of Apple products generally exceeds PCs by a wide margin, given I could technically hook up a Mac Plus to a current network... I have in fact recently just purchased legacy macs to retain access to a few old applications & they work quite well in a humble Apple ecosystem...
Prove it
“'Business is being pushed by consumers to do its part to solve the climate crisis,' said Gary Hirshberg, chair of Climate Counts and CEO of organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm."
Really? Prove it. Apple doesn't seem to be getting pushed very hard by consumers to "do its part".
Come on
Come on Apple, screwing the world is screwing us all!
Who & Why
Who, is Climate Counts anyway &
Why, should we care what they have to say?
and THIS is news?
Must be slow over at MacNN...
Screw this!
The "climate change", "global warming" crises are hoaxes. I don't want a shitty product because some piss an little organization wants to rate Apple on unproven junk science.
who is 'climate counts'?
Climate Counts is "two people with a fax machine". Really, what I find most revealing is that the "Environmentalist" and "Global Warming" Prognosticator, Al Gore is on Apple's Board so Apple should have no excuse. Or does Apple have a overflow of "Carbon Credits" like Al Gore does so Apple doesn't have to concern itself with any of this, just like Al Gore can build a humongous energy consuming house in TN? Of course I've never seen a environmentalist or politician hold themselves up to the high standard they are so eager to place upon the rest of us!
who is 'climate counts'?
Climate Counts is "two people with a fax machine". Really, what I find most revealing is that, the "Environmentalist" and "Global Warming" Prognosticator, Al Gore is on Apple's Board so Apple should have no excuse. Or does Apple have a overflow of "Carbon Credits" like Al Gore does so Apple doesn't have to concern itself with any of this, just like Al Gore can build a humongous energy consuming house in TN? Of course I've never seen a environmentalist or politician hold themselves up to the high standard they are so eager to place upon the rest of us!