After announcing last week that it was dropping dozens of products from the EPEAT sustainability rating system for electronics, Apple faced serious criticism from customers and environmental groups. Two days later, the company changed its mind: Apple is back on EPEAT.
The EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) system rates desktop computers, monitors and laptops on eight categories of environmental impacts. The criteria include several required features, like the elimination of certain hazardous flame retardants, and others that are optional, like using at least 90 percent reusable or recyclable materials.
Apple certified 39 products with EPEAT, and all were rated at the “gold” level, meaning they meet all of EPEAT’s required criteria and 75 percent of the optional criteria. Last Wednesday, when Apple pulled all of those products from the EPEAT system, critics speculated that the company was backing out because the new MacBook Pro with Retina display wouldn’t qualify. The laptop has a glued-in battery and non-serviceable display, and EPEAT emphasizes making electronics easy to recycle and repair.
The latest step in this saga? The Retina MacBook Pro was, surprisingly, listed as EPEAT certified gold today. This comes after Apple reinstated the rest of their products with EPEAT. Environmentalists are predicting that the rating may be downgraded; companies self-certify with EPEAT, and ratings are externally reviewed at a later point.
Main photo credit: Apple