back to article Apple rejoins EPEAT green tech cert program

Mere days after the City of San Francisco announced that it would ban departmental purchases of Apple products over environmental concerns, Cupertino has reversed its decision to withdraw from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) green standards program. "We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple …

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  1. banjomike
    WTF?

    Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience...

    translation:

    they know we will dump them if they don't approve our kit

    1. kain preacher

      Re: Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience...

      Um actually it's more like 4 countries will dump apple including the US at the federal level.

    2. John Bailey

      Re: Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience...

      Translation of translation..

      Oh crap.. They buy how much Apple gear??

      Quick.. put the stickers back on, and pretend nothing happened.

      And crank the RDF generators up to 11!

      1. Voland's right hand Silver badge
        Devil

        Re: Our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience...

        Quote And crank the RDF generators up to 11!

        Exactly.

        Is it me being particularly thick on a Saturday morning or there is just no way for its gear to stay certified. Key requirement is ease of dissassembly for recycling purposes. Disassemble a new MacBook Pro or Macbook air anyone?

  2. Sandtitz Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    New Coke again

    1. Introduce a new, silly company policy and wait for the backlash

    2. Reverse the policy, bask in glory and wait for the herds.

    3. Profit!

  3. Richard Ball

    "look forward to working with EPEAT as their rating system and the underlying IEEE 1680.1 standard evolve,"

    ...meaning:

    "get them to change their silly rules"

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge
      Devil

      Yep

      Their silly rules are quite explicit in specifying that "joe average recyling plant worker" should be able to disassemble the kit for recycling. I do not quite see Apple current generation of kit complying to their "silly rules".

      1. jai
        Black Helicopters

        El Reg's article didn't include the interesting bit

        The really interesting part of the EPEAT CEO's statement wasn't included in this article:

        We look forward to Apple’s strong and creative thoughts on ongoing standards development. The outcome must reward new directions for both design and sustainability, simultaneously supporting the environment and the market for all manufacturers’ elegant and high-performance products.

        Sounds like EPEAT will be adjusting their adjusting their rules to bring them into line with Apple's standards.

      2. JaimieV
        Go

        Disassembly is easy, even with the new kit

        Just takes a couple of screwdrivers, go check ifixit.com.

        It's taking it apart in a way that you can then fix it *and then put it back together again* that is tricky for some parts, like the screen and battery/case assembly. This is not a consideration for recycling, where all the bits are to be separated permanently.

  4. Lord Elpuss Silver badge
    WTF?

    Nutter? Frisbee? Does the environmental lobby actually want to be taken seriously these days?

    Or is somebody having a laugh with the names released to the press; it's only a matter of time before we see headlines like "Environmental spokespersons Mike Ockislong and Wanta Filyuep stated today..."

  5. Gannon (J.) Dick

    Cupertino, World Class AOONS

    "Other officials will doubtless be pleased, as well. Many governmental bodies require EPEAT certification for IT purchases, including the US Department of Defense, NASA, Homeland Security, and the governments of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand."

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/13/kitsap_honour/

  6. Gordan

    Batteries glued to the case?

    Does that mean they are no longer going to glue the batteries to the laptop casing in a way that makes them completely non-removable and non-replaceable?

    Also, does that mean they are going to stop bonding aluminium to glass and plastic in screen assemblies?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Batteries glued to the case?

      The particular machine you have in mind just received EPEAT Gold Certification, so you should have no worries about it's environmental credentials.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Batteries glued to the case?

        How is it possible that it has attained this certification when the bloody battery is still glued to the case, has someone tweaked the EPEAT requirements while no one was looking? If the laptop cannot easily be separated into its component parts for recycling whats the point. Looking at the "End of life" requirements on the website, anything glued or requiring manual separation is only an option???

        1. Anonymous Coward
          WTF?

          Re: Batteries glued to the case?

          I don't understand how they can glue the batteries to the case, but offer a same day in-store service at Apple stores to replace batteries in even the newest Macbook..

          http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro/service/battery/

          So I'm not getting this whole glued in thing. If they can replace the battery in store, therefore some smiling Apple droid can get the battery out fairly easily and can also put the new one in without making a mess with glue (or is it just me that happens to when using it?)

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Batteries glued to the case?

            Apple has a battery kit that includes the battery and the top part of cover, they just replace that as a unit in store or at any authorised service centre.

            Of course this results in extra aluminium but on the other hand they don't need to contain the entire battery in a polycarbonate protective case as regular batteries, since the computer itself acts as as shield. As we know from the difficulties in recycling old CDs, polycarbonate is not as recyclable as aluminium.

            As with all Apple spare parts, I'm thinking in time we'll see these same kits being sold in parallel channels.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Batteries glued to the case?

              Thank you for the information. The first sensible post I have read on El Reg regarding the new Macbook batteries and the only time someone has given proper information rather than jumping up and down like a 6 year old shouting "glue is bad".

              When you consider the old removable batteries had a slab of aluminium on their base, as well as being encased in polycarbonate, it might actually be the new batteries are more environmentally friendly not less.

              Indeed if they are fitted in the store or at a dealer, the battery will almost certainly be recycled and won't end up in the end users bin. I'm guessing Apple will indeed have a way of separating the battery from the aluminium for recycling because there will be money to be had from the scrap metal.

              The actual big downside is still cost and inconvenience. But then again it is a big battery.

          2. jonathanb Silver badge

            Re: Batteries glued to the case?

            They replace the case as well as the battery.

          3. Carl Pearson
            FAIL

            Re: Batteries glued to the case?

            Simple ... just swap the entire unit. Even a genius could do it. ;)

            Real question is are they going to stop soldering memory to the MB. Makes for a difficult upgrade.

      2. Blitterbug
        Unhappy

        Re: Just received EPEAT Gold Cert...

        O. M. F. G

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

  7. Christoph
    Joke

    Rejoining EPEAT

    Does Rejoining EPEAT make it REPEAT?

    1. kain preacher

      Re: Rejoining EPEAT

      Don't quit your day job.

    2. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      Re: Rejoining EPEAT

      You know - I must make a few spare accounts so I can upvote that one some more. Well spotted :)

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    DOD?

    The US DOD requires environmentally friendly computers? When you think of all the other kit they have...

    "They train young men to rain fire upon people, but won't allow them to write 'Fuck' on their air-planes because it is obscene'

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: DOD?

      Have some Agent Orange for this movie citation!

  9. Richard Cartledge
    Thumb Down

    Now can they say depleted uranium is EPEAT so their government can happily continue to purchase that too?

    1. Don Jefe
      Meh

      Depleated Uranium

      We don't buy that. It's a waste material that contractors machine into a barrel shaped thing. DP is also one of the very few optional things in the military. You can opt out of any vehicle that carries it.

      1. Silverburn
        Meh

        Re: Depleated Uranium

        Unfortunately you can't opt out of the vehicle being hit by one of these babies...and the results are particularly gruesome, even if you somehow survive the original shot.

  10. Greg J Preece

    How the heck does this even work? I thought they withdrew because there's no way their latest gluing-everything-in bullshit would get approved, and then they just waltz back in like nothing ever happened? How can the laptops now be approved when they couldn't before?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      They admitted there's a secret recipe for removing the batteries so they can be dissambled to the requirements.

      They weren't going to let the independent repairers know in case they bodged the job and damaged the owners equipment - or was it damaged Apples profit on repair jobs?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        As another poster pointed out, you don't need to deglue the batteries because the mounting goes with it.

        It makes sense when you realise that normal batteries are encased in polycarbonate but the new Apple ones are not. It looks like Apple will replace the battery and the bit its mounted onto. They'll take away the old assembly and recycle it themselves. Presumably they have the tech to separate the batteries prior to recycling.

        It really doesn't appear to be as sinister as everyone is making out.

  11. Alan Denman

    Something smells.

    "On the contrary, he writes, Apple would like to see the existing EPEAT standards strengthened to include more of the environmental protection practices Cupertino uses in its manufacturing today"

    Our products are designed to enhance profitability but hey that means we can recycle more.

    Apple are looking more and more the bull in the china shop when it comes to marketing.

    1. Blitterbug
      Happy

      Re: Something smells.

      It's an old trick. The word 'strengthened' here means, as has been mentioned elsewhere, 'adjusted'. It really is as simple as that.

  12. Weeble
    Thumb Down

    What they really mean ...

    "On the contrary, he writes, Apple would like to see the existing EPEAT standards strengthened to include more of the environmental protection practices Cupertino uses in its manufacturing today..."

    Namely, all the ones we have patents on.

  13. Richard 12 Silver badge
    FAIL

    Amusingly, *none* of the iPads ever made meet any of the requirements

    So does that mean that any iPads purchased by US Governmental depts need to be sent back because they do not meet the requirements?

    Or does this EPEAT requirement only apply to stuff that isn't "cool"?

    It's not just Apple though, there are no tablets that are EPEAT registered in the US whatsoever.

    1. Don Jefe

      Re: Amusingly, *none* of the iPads ever made meet any of the requirements

      Or none of the iPhones or the iPods. Ever. Their desktop products were pretty much it.

    2. Silverburn

      Re: Amusingly, *none* of the iPads ever made meet any of the requirements

      Being registered != being approved

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's a joke - using less and recyclable materials and having a proper policy for recycling old machines is far more 'green' than most. I've seen people upgrade laptop batteries and the old one goes in the office waste bin - dead green.

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