Console makers fail eco-friendly review

By Alex Villafania, hackenslash Reporter INQUIRER.net YOUR Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wiis are environmentally poisonous. So says the latest review of electronic waste by environmental advocacy group Greenpeace. The latest Guide to Greener Electronics by Greenpeace has rated console makers for the first time since the quarterly report started about a year ago. It also included LCD TVs, which are fast replacing old CRT monitors as the display panels of choice. The game console business is also one of the reasons more consumers are buying LCD TVs. In the latest report, Greenpeace rated Nintendo with a very low 0 out of 10 score for having no plans for recycling discarded consoles. Meanwhile, Microsoft had a score of only 2.7 out of 10. However, because both Nintendo and Microsoft are newcomers to the list, Greenpeace opined that both still have "room for improvement" in terms of their disposal strategies for old consoles. Incidentally, Sony's PlayStation business was not included on the list. Only the Japanese firm's mobile phone subsidiary Sony Ericsson is part of the current and previous rankings. Despite Microsoft not having an official Xbox 360 sales office in the Philippines, Microsoft Philippines' official statement sent to hackenslash stressed its commitment to environmental sustainability. "In our consumer electronics business, we comply with and exceed all environmental guidelines and regulations. We are committed to making ongoing progress on environmental issues while maintaining product durability, safety and performance," the company said in its statement. In addition, Microsoft Philippines spokesperson Mae Rivera-Moreno stressed that Microsoft has other initiatives that fall outside the scope of the Greenpeace survey. In particular, it is working with the US environmental organization Natural Resources Defense Council to make the Xbox 360 more energy-efficient. "We expect to implement product modifications over the next year that will demonstrate significant gains in energy efficiency. The Xbox 360 is packaged with 100-percent environmentally-friendly packaging that is approximately 30 percent less in volume over the original Xbox and eliminates the former use of styrene. Additionally, the Xbox 360 has environmentally-friendly technology integrated into the console, such as a low power mode. We also plan to phase out the use of substances such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFR) -- substances that have been associated with significant environmental impacts-- from our products, including the Xbox 360, by 2011,” Moreno said via e-mail.