Greenpeace praises Apple for reducing use of conflict minerals
Following the release of Apple's annual supplier responsibility report on Thursday, environmental organization Greenpeace spoke out with praise, celebrating the iPhone maker's efforts to cut its use of conflict minerals.
"Apple's increased transparency about its suppliers is becoming a hallmark of Tim Cook's leadership at the company," Greenpeace Energy Campaigner Tom Dowdall said in a statement. "Apple has flexed its muscles in the past to push suppliers to remove hazardous substances from products and provide more renewable energy for data centers, and it is proving the same model can work to reduce the use of conflict minerals."
The organization specifically called out Samsung, along with other consumer electronics companies, to follow Apple's example. The hope is that the industry can "exert its collective influence" to build devices better for both people and the planet.
Apple and Greenpeace have had a rocky relationship over the years, with the organization occasionally praising the iPhone maker, but also singling the company out over environmental issues. However, of late Greenpeace has been mostly complimentary of Apple, and last year praised Apple's hiring of former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson.
A year prior, Greenpeace also eased off its criticisms of Apple's clean energy policies, calling the company's efforts "significantly improved." That was a significant change from protests earlier that year, held in both Cupertino, Calif. and Cork, Ireland, that accused Apple of using coal-based power at its massive data center in Maiden, N.C., to power its iCloud services.
"Apple's increased transparency about its suppliers is becoming a hallmark of Tim Cook's leadership at the company," Greenpeace Energy Campaigner Tom Dowdall said in a statement. "Apple has flexed its muscles in the past to push suppliers to remove hazardous substances from products and provide more renewable energy for data centers, and it is proving the same model can work to reduce the use of conflict minerals."
The organization specifically called out Samsung, along with other consumer electronics companies, to follow Apple's example. The hope is that the industry can "exert its collective influence" to build devices better for both people and the planet.
Apple and Greenpeace have had a rocky relationship over the years, with the organization occasionally praising the iPhone maker, but also singling the company out over environmental issues. However, of late Greenpeace has been mostly complimentary of Apple, and last year praised Apple's hiring of former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson.
A year prior, Greenpeace also eased off its criticisms of Apple's clean energy policies, calling the company's efforts "significantly improved." That was a significant change from protests earlier that year, held in both Cupertino, Calif. and Cork, Ireland, that accused Apple of using coal-based power at its massive data center in Maiden, N.C., to power its iCloud services.
Comments
What does Greenpeace have to do with conflict minerals? I thought they were environmental activists. Are the conflict mines polluting more than the non-conflict mines?
It is not like Apple is doing something voluntarily about the use conflict minerals. It is actually a US law to audit your supply chain to prevent the use of conflict minerals.
Screw you, Greenpeace. Someone needs to go Captain Planet on these ecoterrorists.
What? Something positive about Apple? This can’t be. The universe is out of phase or something. And we won’t hear a single word about this on the major tech websites because positive Apple news just doesn’t get the clicks.
Doomed. My thought exactly.
“Urrururrrrrr…”
“Naw, man, iss coo… I chained miself toa tree fuh you…”
*mauling sounds*
LOL
I mean Greenpeace.
Being green and liking Greenpeace are not related, at least not in my book.
What an ungreen lot you all are in this thread. I for one support them wanting to save wolves, grizzly bears and sharks etc. If I ever run into any of the aforementioned in bad circumstances I am banking on good karma helping out ...
IMO, the remarks in this thread have nothing to do with being or not being "green". It's about hypocrisy…Greenpeace hypocrisy. Hypocrisy about chastising Apple's products for not using enough recyclable materials while manufacturers like HP, Samsung, Asus, etc. get a free pass. Hypocrisy about whining that Apple's data centers don't use enough "clean" energy, while data centers from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google get a free pass. I'm tired of it and not impressed by this tiny bone that Greenpeace has thrown out.
And put pressure on other companies to do the same.
IMO, the remarks in this thread have nothing to do with being or not being "green". It's about hypocrisy…Greenpeace hypocrisy. Hypocrisy about chastising Apple's products for not using enough recyclable materials while manufacturers like HP, Samsung, Asus, etc. get a free pass. Hypocrisy about whining that Apple's data centers don't use enough "clean" energy, while data centers from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google get a free pass. I'm tired of it and not impressed by this tiny bone that Greenpeace has thrown out.
I don't know what you are talking about. They treat all companies the same.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/cool-it/Campaign-analysis/Guide-to-Greener-Electronics/
What? Something positive about Apple? This can’t be. The universe is out of phase or something. And we won’t hear a single word about this on the major tech websites because positive Apple news just doesn’t get the clicks.
Don't worry.
Greenpeace will soon be complaining about Apple & $13.5 billion in old iPhones that will simply go into the landfill...
Greenpeace? The inept, second-tier, increasingly irrelevant, cheap-attention-seeking NGO 'verify Apple's claims'?
Good one. LOL.