San Francisco To Ban City Apple Purchases Over Green Certification Brouhaha
Just a short time after Apple pulled 39 products from the aging EPEAT green technology certification program, people have stopped scratching their heads and are starting to flip out. Among the most noteworthy naysayers is the San Francisco Department of Environment, which plans to alert city agencies that Apple products are off the city funds list.
If it seems unlikely that the PR-savvy tech giant would turn its back on environmentally-friendly production, that's because it is. Though Apple has been characteristically quiet on the issue, the Electronic Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) program was quick to get the word out. EPEAT CEO Robert Frisbee told the Wall Street Journal that "They said their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements."
What does that mean? The general consensus (and seemingly confirmed by related comments Frisbee made to the WSJ) is that Apple, which has been working with EPEAT to refresh the standard, has product designs that can't match the certification agency's guidelines. In particular, the hard-to-remove battery seems to be a, ah, sticking point. Apple has a long history of being environmentally-conscious, and we'd be surprised if Apple doesn't find a way to get a satisfactory certification lined up relatively soon.
If it seems unlikely that the PR-savvy tech giant would turn its back on environmentally-friendly production, that's because it is. Though Apple has been characteristically quiet on the issue, the Electronic Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) program was quick to get the word out. EPEAT CEO Robert Frisbee told the Wall Street Journal that "They said their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements."
What does that mean? The general consensus (and seemingly confirmed by related comments Frisbee made to the WSJ) is that Apple, which has been working with EPEAT to refresh the standard, has product designs that can't match the certification agency's guidelines. In particular, the hard-to-remove battery seems to be a, ah, sticking point. Apple has a long history of being environmentally-conscious, and we'd be surprised if Apple doesn't find a way to get a satisfactory certification lined up relatively soon.
