There's a green storm a-brewin' in the electronics industry as more and more companies make an effort to green up their products.
PC and electronics makers, in their quest for the fastest, coolest and most powerful devices, have never given much thought to environmental issues, says Barbara Kyle, national coordinator of the Computer TakeBack Campaign, an advocacy group. Not surprisingly, their products are often chemical-laden, power-sucking nightmares, she says.
Now, for the first time, almost every major PC and electronics maker is trying to change that, says Zeina Al-Hajj, an environmental campaigner at Greenpeace.
The industry is brimming with new green initiatives. Dell (DELL) in June announced a plan to become "the greenest technology company," by beefing up its recycling program and building more Earth-friendly PCs. Weeks before, rival Apple (AAPL) made a similar pledge to become "greener." Panasonic has taken the lead out of its plasma TVs. Motorola (MOT) made its cellphone chargers energy-efficient. Sun Microsystems (SUNW) has even begun posting the amount of electricity it uses in each of its office parks, by month, on the Internet.
It's easy to demonize electronics manufacturers for environmentally unfriendly manufacturing, but part of the blame rests with those of us who buy the products. For example, are we willing to pay more?
It's still unclear whether often-costly environmental programs generate enough goodwill to be worth it.
"If everything else is equal, a consumer will choose to purchase a product that's more socially responsible," says Stewart Mitchell, chief strategy officer for Sharp Electronics. "But I'm not going to say they'll pay more for it."
And does the environment even enter our thought process when we buy electronics? As Panasonic found, time and money invested in green alternatives don't necessarily mean the products will get snapped up at the stores.
Panasonic spent six years and $75 million developing lead-free solder to connect parts inside its electronics, says Thompson. Lead solder is hard to duplicate because it has a relatively low melting point of about 180 degrees, he says. Panasonic struggled to come up with a replacement that wouldn't melt every computer chip it touched.
The lead-free solder was a key component in Panasonic's line of lead-free plasma TVs. Yet the initiative "hasn't resonated" or sparked an uptick in sales, Thompson says.
David Thompson, environmental director of Panasonic sums it up when he says, "Consumers do not buy products for their greenness."
How about you? Do you consider environmental factors when purchasing electronics? (I have to confess, it hasn't been on my radar screen in past purchases.) Are you willing to pay more for more environmentally friendly options? How much more? 5%? 10%? 20% When does it become too much?
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