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manufacturers, such as Philips and Sharp, as well as the game console giants, Nintendo and Microsoft. The other market leaders for TVs and game console
producers are already included in the recent guide Guide to Greener Electronics Version 9, 2008: 1. Moreover, Greenpeace stressed some of the recent ranking
criteria on toxic chemicals and e-waste, of which a criterion added on each issue. Besides, five energy criteria were also added.
In addition to publication of the guide, the eighth version was released on June 25, 2008. While the ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth version
were released on September 16, 2008; November 24, 2008; March 31, 2009; July 1, 2009; September 30, 2009; and January 7, 2010 respectively.
a. Criteria on Toxic Chemicals
Substituting harmful chemicals in the production of electronics will save labor and local communities from negative effect in the manufacturing plant. Phasing
hazardous substance out “will also prevent leachingoff-gassing of chemicals like brominated flame retardants BFR during use, and as enable electronic scrap to be
safely recycled” Guide to Greener Electronics Version 2, 2006: 1. Furthermore, “the presence of toxic substances in electronics perpetuates the toxic cycle - during
reprocessing waste and by using contaminated secondary materials to make new products” Guide to Greener Electronics Version 3, 2007: 1.
Toxicity matter is a critical one. “Until the use of toxic substances is eliminated, it is impossible to secure ‘safe’ recycling” Guide to Greener Electronics
Version 10, 2008: 1. Therefore, the points awarded to the practice on chemicals are weighted more heavily than criteria on recycling Guide to Greener Electronics
Version 10, 2008: 1.
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The first criterion has been explored to enforce companies not only to have a chemicals policy underpinned by the Precautionary Principle, but also to support a
revision of the restriction of hazardous substance RoHS Directive that bans harmful substances, specifically BFRs, chlorinated flame retardants CFRs and PVC Guide
to Greener Electronics Version 11, 2009: 1. In addition, the criterion on chemicals management remains the same. The criterion: BFR-free and PVC-free models on the
market, also remains the same and continues to score double points. “The two former criteria: Commitment to eliminating PVC with timeline and
Commitment to eliminating all BFRs with timeline, have been merged into one criterion, with the lower level of commitment to PVC or BFR elimination determining
the score on this criterion” Guide to Greener Electronics Version 11, 2009: 1. A new criterion further has been added, accounts Phase out of additional
substances with timelines. The guide further elaborates three additional substances as suspect substances for potential future elimination, such as all phthalates,
beryllium, including alloys and compounds and antimonyantimony compounds Guide to Greener Electronics Version 12, 2009: 1.
b. Criteria on E-waste
Greenpeace also pays attention on extended producer responsibility, of which companies should bear cost of e-waste generated by their products to take back and
recycle them responsibly. In addition, individual producer responsibility IPR provides a feedback loop
to the product designers of the end-of-life costs of treating discarded electronic products and thus an incentive to design out those costs Guide to Greener Electronics
Version 12, 2009: 1.
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“An additional e-waste criterion has been added and most of the existing criteria have been sharpened, with additional demands. The new e-waste criterion
requires the brands to report on the use of recycled plastic content across all products and provide timelines for increasing content” Guide to Greener Electronics Version
