Greenpeace Ranks Nintendo Least Eco-Friendly Electronics Company

By Jane McEntegart, published on June 26, 2008 at 8:30 PM
Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: , | Themes: Business
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Last month environmentalist group, Greenpeace published a report investigating the eco-friendliness of the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the Wii.

While the report found that all three consoles were well within the restrictions of the European Union’s RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), Pthalates (believed to interfere in sexual development in male mammals) were found in both the Xbox 360 and PS3 and Bromine was found in over half of the analysed components (23 out of 42). All three consoles contained PVC-based materials and electrical contact materials and both the PS3 and the 360 contained Berylium.

The report said that while Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft had all committed to eliminating PVC and BFRs from their consoles, Nintendo was the only one of the three that could not confirm a date.

Greenpeace this week released its quarterly Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics and Nintendo was right at the bottom of the list of 18 electronics companies.

However, according to the BBC the Japanese company is defensive, stating the reason for its low ranking is because the company refused to take part or provide information for the survey.

"Greenpeace chose to conduct a survey and produce a report, which graded companies upon the voluntary submission of information. Nintendo decided not to take part in the survey and were therefore ’ungraded’ in the resulting report.”

However if you ask Greenpeace, you get a different story. The group says that they contacted Nintendo for information but the company didn’t respond and so, Greenpeace used information from Nintendo’s website instead. Greenpeace insisted that Nintendo had been graded with Iza Kruszewska, toxics campaigner for Greenpeace, telling BBC News.

"There is no choice"

Top three in the guide were, Sony Ericsson, Sony and Nokia and the bottom three were LG, Microsoft and Nintendo.

Related Links

BBC News: Nintendo ’least green tech firm’
Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics

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Comments

thogrom 06/27/2008 3:08 AM
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omg... what the fudge is up with toms... look at the title... they MISSPELLED THE TITLE ... friggen ridiculous... they have been getting worse and worse

thogrom 06/27/2008 3:45 AM
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... they fixed it so now i look like an idiot lol... how nice

xxsk8er101xx 06/27/2008 4:47 AM
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don't care what greenpeace has to say. Why bother reporting what the crazy nut jobs say anyway? According to greenpeace 4 billion people should die to save the planet. Seriously stop reporting what greenpeace says. No one cares.

They will cry about chemicals being in the wii but yet these new energy saving lightbulbs are toxic. I had one die on me 2 days ago (ONLY LASTING 8 MONTHS BTW) and the smell was so bad i had to leave the room for a few. It smelled toxic. I have no choice but to through it out and it is probably more harmful than the wii. Yet here is greenpeace promoting such toxic energy saving bulbs.

Just ignore them and they'll go away!

magicandy 06/27/2008 6:37 AM
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The above person has no clue what they're talking about, and sadly they represent the reason Greenpeace is given a bad name. Humanity is the cause of its own undoing.

BigBurn 06/27/2008 9:47 AM
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Sk8er is somewhat right on the bulbs, here in quebec most of our energy comes from water, thus not making any or low pollution. But then because of groups like greenpeace, the gouverment passed a law that will take off the conventional lightbulbs of the stores selves. So we already lose one of the advantage of those new lights because we dont make less pollution while consuming electricity. Plus, since of our rough winters and yadayada, conventional lightbulbs actually heated the house most of the time and now we actually need to spend more power during winters because we have to give electricity to those stupid bulbs and the heater. So now we are stuck with bulbs that cost twice as before, don't create less pollution (recent studies said if we changed our bulbs to those new ones it will makes more pollution as if we added 44k cars on the street), contain hazardhous material, don't last as long ang we can't use a dimmer on it!

Just to make it short, I always take the things those kind of group says with a grain of salt.

bobmercer 06/27/2008 9:50 AM
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No he was spot on. The reason Greenpeace has a bad name is because of their own actions just like that loudmouthed liberal group PETA. They are both nothing more then self righteous hypocritical publicity whores and the world would be far better off without them. Probably the only good thing the French did in recent history was to sink that polluting bucket of rust that Greenpeace would motor around the world in and telling others they need to stop polluting.

pocketdrummer 06/27/2008 3:19 PM
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... This is an old article.

jamescarnahan 06/27/2008 3:39 PM
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I am so sick of these blow hard liberal groups doing what they can to promote this stupid hoax that is now no longer called global warming but climate change.(because now because it isn't warming but actually cooling) They have to keep a boogey man out there so money keeps rolling in. Funny if you look at their boogey man from the 70's was global cooling. Idiots all of them and all you who drink their Koolaid. Look up pictures of L.A in the 60's and you'll see the smog was so bad that it looked like a foggy day all day every day. Now it is so clean you hardly see any smog yet now there is this so called environmental cotastrophe. Whatever. This hoax is what is making everything in your life more expensive, fuel, food, taxes, yes even your lighting costs will now double. But its all in the name of saving the planet which doesn't need saving. The planet can take care of itself. Why don't we ban volcanoes since just one eruption produces more CO2 then all the cars in the world over a years time. Oh yeah and why don't we just ban cows since their farts are now being blamed for "climate change". What you probobly don't know is your hero Al Gore benefits directly from Carbon credit taxes you liberal idiots pay. It goes right into his bank account. Thats right follow the money. Who cares if there is now 80 parts per billion of CO2 in the air rather than 50, yes thats right parts per billion. CO2 is food for plants, makes them healthy and strong. Notice how good that corn tastes now, mmmmmm more CO2. You exhale CO2, it's called a cycle of life people. Get a grip on reality. Katrina didn't happen because of global warming, Hurricanes happen every year and have always happened every year since the planet was made get over it. You live on the beach, that's the risk you take. SHUT UP GREENPEACE!!!!!!

OK rant is over
have a great day :-)

jamescarnahan 06/27/2008 3:40 PM
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I am so sick of these blow hard liberal groups doing what they can to promote this stupid hoax that is now no longer called global warming but climate change.(because now because it isn't warming but actually cooling) They have to keep a boogey man out there so money keeps rolling in. Funny if you look at their boogey man from the 70's was global cooling. Idiots all of them and all you who drink their Koolaid. Look up pictures of L.A in the 60's and you'll see the smog was so bad that it looked like a foggy day all day every day. Now it is so clean you hardly see any smog yet now there is this so called environmental cotastrophe. Whatever. This hoax is what is making everything in your life more expensive, fuel, food, taxes, yes even your lighting costs will now double. But its all in the name of saving the planet which doesn't need saving. The planet can take care of itself. Why don't we ban volcanoes since just one eruption produces more CO2 then all the cars in the world over a years time. Oh yeah and why don't we just ban cows since their farts are now being blamed for "climate change". What you probobly don't know is your hero Al Gore benefits directly from Carbon credit taxes you liberal idiots pay. It goes right into his bank account. Thats right follow the money. Who cares if there is now 80 parts per billion of CO2 in the air rather than 50, yes thats right parts per billion. CO2 is food for plants, makes them healthy and strong. Notice how good that corn tastes now, mmmmmm more CO2. You exhale CO2, it's called a cycle of life people. Get a grip on reality. Katrina didn't happen because of global warming, Hurricanes happen every year and have always happened every year since the planet was made get over it. You live on the beach, that's the risk you take. SHUT UP GREENPEACE!!!!!!

OK rant is over
have a great day :-)

Scott1483 06/27/2008 5:06 PM
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To the idiot above me:
Please die now. You know nothing of what you speak, and are also horrible at spelling and grammar. Let me show why you suck at life:
1.) Global warming and climate change are two phrases to describe the same phenomenon. It has not been "changed" because scientists now think there is actually now "global cooling."
2.) There is virtually no actual controversy among the legitimate scientific community (which excludes nutjob fringe scientists who have never even heard the phrase "peer-reviewed") regarding whether or not the actual global temperature is increasing. This is simply an observation based on measurements, which are rather difficult to refute. It is also accepted among the scientific community that the chances that climate change being a result of human activity are over 90%.
4.) Your "fact" about volcanoes contributing more CO2 into the atmosphere over a year's time than cars is incorrect. This "statistic" originated from your hero, Rush Limbaugh, and the truth is that the chemicals emitted from volcanoes are water soluble and therefore get rained out of the atmosphere, not like the insoluble gasses coming out of your Hummer. You weren't counting on anyone knowing that your arguments were scientifically invalid, were you?
5.) Carbon credit taxes are not deposited directly into Al Gore's bank account. I don't even know where you made that one up from.
6.) Just because something is measured in parts per billion does not mean it is not dangerous. You obviously have no idea of the scientific context these figures are used in.
7.) CO2 is used by plants in photosynthesis, but that does not mean that giving them more of it will make them more "healthy and strong." I almost was starting to relax at this point in your post because I figured you must be just joking, given the absurdity of statements like "notice how good corn tastes now?"
8.) Humans exhale CO2, and it is indeed part of the circle of life, but that does not mean that it cannot be dangerous if there is too much of it.
9.) I hate you.

KITH 06/27/2008 6:43 PM
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Scott1483 :
To the idiot above me:Please die now. You know nothing of what you speak, and are also horrible at spelling and grammar. Let me show why you suck at life:1.) Global warming and climate change are two phrases to describe the same phenomenon. It has not been "changed" because scientists now think there is actually now "global cooling."2.) There is virtually no actual controversy among the legitimate scientific community (which excludes nutjob fringe scientists who have never even heard the phrase "peer-reviewed") regarding whether or not the actual global temperature is increasing. This is simply an observation based on measurements, which are rather difficult to refute. It is also accepted among the scientific community that the chances that climate change being a result of human activity are over 90%.4.) Your "fact" about volcanoes contributing more CO2 into the atmosphere over a year's time than cars is incorrect. This "statistic" originated from your hero, Rush Limbaugh, and the truth is that the chemicals emitted from volcanoes are water soluble and therefore get rained out of the atmosphere, not like the insoluble gasses coming out of your Hummer. You weren't counting on anyone knowing that your arguments were scientifically invalid, were you?5.) Carbon credit taxes are not deposited directly into Al Gore's bank account. I don't even know where you made that one up from.6.) Just because something is measured in parts per billion does not mean it is not dangerous. You obviously have no idea of the scientific context these figures are used in.7.) CO2 is used by plants in photosynthesis, but that does not mean that giving them more of it will make them more "healthy and strong." I almost was starting to relax at this point in your post because I figured you must be just joking, given the absurdity of statements like "notice how good corn tastes now?"8.) Humans exhale CO2, and it is indeed part of the circle of life, but that does not mean that it cannot be dangerous if there is too much of it.9.) I hate you.



I believe you are little behind the times bub. Latest reports show that in fact the climate is currently cooling and will continue to for the next 10-20 years.

There is plenty of controversy in the scientific community. Every new study has a different finding.

Even if volcanic emissions are water soluble doesn't mean they get cleaned from the air by the rain. What about particles above the clouds?

I am pretty sure he was joking about the plants and corn. and yes it was funny.

Oh, and you can shut up too.

100% gore benefits from global warming concerns. He has big time ownership of C02 credit companies. He is bringing in millions.

Anonymous 06/27/2008 7:09 PM
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Nothing new here. Greenpeace said the same thing last year... it is very political because Nintendo does not disclose their policies (or probably donate to Greenpeace)

Greenpeace does not mention the fact that Nintendo has been using a high-percentage of post-consumer recycled cardboard in their packaging since the early 1990s. The Wii packaging itself uses the same high-post consumer recycled cardboard with relatively little plastic.

Of the three current consoles, the Wii also consumes the least electricity by far. Nintendo, to me, has always been very eco friendly even if they do not publicly talk about it or flaunt it.

I just don't understand it unless it is truly a purely political play. (Besides -- criticize the Wii and you get a lot of press).

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