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Topic: Apple

Apple back on EPEAT

Summary: Apple recognizes that it "was a mistake" to remove its products from EPEAT.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

Earlier this week the City of San Francisco became the first public agency to pull the plug on Mac purchases after the Cupertino giant announced that it no longer wanted its computers and monitors evaluated for EPEAT certification. Now the company has carried out a U-turn and eligible products are back on EPEAT.

"We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system" writes Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering. "I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT".

EPEAT, which stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, is a voluntary environmental rating that helps consumers identify greener computers and other electronic equipment. According to EPEAT’s website, it is a rating that is used by hundreds of companies, universities and government agencies in dozens of countries, and its "rigorous requirements and searchable product database let buyers bypass marketing hype and confusing specifications".

No indication is given as to why Apple removed its products from EPEAT in the first place. There was speculation that the way that Apple assembles its new "retina" display line of MacBook Pro notebooks made them ineligible for certification because the battery was glued into the case. However, these products are now in the EPEAT registry.

"If the battery is glued to the case it means you can’t recycle the case and you can’t recycle the battery," EPEAT’s CEO Robert Frisbee told The Wall Street Journal.

In the open letter, Mansfield claims that Apple is the only company that makes computers which  exceed the stringent ENERGY STAR 5.2 government standard, and he believes that the IEEE 1680.1 standard -- which forms the basis of EPEAT -- would be better if it were upgraded to take this into account.

"Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience," writes Mansfield, "and we look forward to working with EPEAT as their rating system and the underlying IEEE 1680.1 standard evolve".

Image source: Apple.

Topics: Apple, Hardware, Tech Industry

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24 comments
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  • Huh?

    Color me confused.
    How does the Retina Mac get EPEAT?
    rhonin
    Reply Vote

    • it didn't

      it didn't and never did... this is about other Mac models over several years.
      doh123
      Reply 3 Votes

      • well, it may be...

        well it may be in there now... last I looked it wasn't, but I cannot get their database to work at the moment on their website.
        doh123
        Reply Vote

    • I see said the confused personage

      dyslexic reading style - I had read the sentence in the negative... oops.
      Thx!!
      rhonin
      Reply Vote

    • :)

      I am a single biker woman. My friend told me about___seekingbikers.com___she told me it is the best place for bikers to find Friendship, Love, and Romance! I have tried, it is fantastic, hundreds of thousands of hot biker men and biker babes are there. Come in and give it a shot, you will find your biker match to share the passion for motorbikes! :)
      ChristinaSpears
      Reply Vote

  • Oh, no...

    So i'll still have to watch our users wonder around proudly with their public funds purchased iPads that they don't know what to do with? Booo...
    vgrig
    Reply Vote

    • no...

      no, thats not the case. EPEAT is too old and doesn't even cover things like the iPad and iPhone. Its right now just mainly for Macs.
      doh123
      Reply 3 Votes

      • I meant...

        ...if San-Fran refused to by macs because of EPEAT withdrawal, there was hope iPads could be next - all hope is lost now...
        vgrig
        Reply Vote

    • You'd be amazed where public funds go...

      Look up the article entitled "Facebook's Dubious Social Mission" - they take a lot in public funds... many apparently small and struggling companies seem to need such subsidies, which include Microsoft, AT&T, Walmart... the list goes on and on and the amount of money doled out goes back years... in a free market, why should the government be propping them up?

      But, yeah, from relatives and others telling me of stories of tablets coming in as panaceas, with little oversight or lockdowns for the kiddies, I too would raise real issues...
      HypnoToad72
      Reply Vote

  • Its the thought that counts. If you have to tell apple to care they they

    really dont. It's like the google dont be evil joke, theyre evil all the time.
    Johnny Vegas
    Reply Vote

    • Or..

      MS with "Get the Facts" campaign, right? :-P
      vgrig
      Reply 2 Votes

      • the MS "Get the facts" campaign...

        was only missing one thing, Facts! It's like how the WP 7 phone won, even when the other phone did the tasks faster. Microsoft knows that no matter how much they lie the diehard fanboys will believe them.
        Jumpin Jack Flash
        Reply 2 Votes

        • I meant all of the "Get the facts" campaigns.

          Going back to 2006 (i think) study showing Windows TCO is lower than linux, than IE8 is superior to firefox and crome (including security, lol).
          vgrig
          Reply 1 Vote

        • Why does MS scare you so much, JJF?

          or better yet, do you break out in a cold sweat everytime you see an MS product (which would be quite a few times a day)
          :)
          William Farrel
          Reply 1 Vote

          • I had to re-read JJF's post, so...

            ...which part of it exactly show fear?
            vgrig
            Reply 1 Vote

          • William "toddbottom3" Farrel is a Microsoft astroturfer

            Thus he can't stand it when the truth about the company he's obsessed with doesn't fit his version of life.
            Jumpin Jack Flash
            Reply 1 Vote

          • I'd be scared ...

            ... of an OS that did this:

            "May 13 2003

            While on the way to an important speech, Thailand's finance minister got locked inside his luxury car yesterday because of an onboard computer malfunction and had to signal someone to smash a window for him to crawl out.

            "It was pretty bad because nothing worked, everything was locked," a shaken Finance Minister Suchart Jaovisidha told reporters.

            Suchart said he was on his way to give a speech to central bank officials from 17 countries when his ministry-assigned BMW car stalled on a road, not far from his house.

            The engine stopped, the air conditioning shut down, the doors got locked and the windows wouldn't roll down, he said, adding that he was trapped for about 10 minutes.

            "We couldn't breath because there was no air," he said
            harvey_rabbit
            Reply 1 Vote

    • "Care" about what?

      Apple never departed much stricter Energy Star 5.2 standards, and Apple is the only company in the world whose all product lines are in comply, and even best that standard.

      Also, Apple is the only company that openly publishes (for years) complete green footprint from all of their products from all of its lifetime.

      So Apple cares, but with this EPEAT thing they went with their usual elitist way of getting rid of everything old and unnecessary -- which this time was EPEAT that is made around ancient standard. It was like getting rid of 100 kilometres per hour certification while having 250 kilometres per hour certification for a race car.

      However, a lot of lagging bureaucracy like products have as many certification as possible even if it is already makes no sense. In Jobs' time, Robert Mansfield would probably would not make this "U" turn since Steven was usually adamant about not returning back to the old things.
      DDERSSS
      Reply 1 Vote

  • Translation -

    We’ve recently realized that many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system where not that loyal at all, as they really took us by surprise in announcing that they would no longer purchase our products." writes Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering. "We recognize that this was a mistake. We honestly believed that people loved us so much they would place owning our products OVER their own ethics, and the long term well being of the environment. In this we were mistaken."
    William Farrel
    Reply 4 Votes

    • That's a pretty good zinger, Will.

      I understand your comment sarcastically playful in nature but it was also quite insightful and reflected the truth of the matter. Well done.
      kenosha77a
      Reply Vote
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