Dell, HP, and Lenovo still use toxic plastics

Three of the world’s biggest PC makers have failed to meet their own targets for removing toxic plastics from their products by the end of 2009.

Hewlett Packard (HP), Dell, and Lenovo have all backtracked on their commitment to remove polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their computer systems.

Their failure was exposed by Greenpeace in its latest ‘Guide to Greener Electronics’.

“Greenpeace takes voluntary commitments very seriously and holds companies accountable for their promises,” said Greenpeace spokesperson Tom Dowdall.

“There are no excuses for backtracking, and no reason for these companies not to have PCs free of PVC and BFRs [by] now.”

PVC is the most environmentally damaging plastic, and can form dioxin, a known carcinogen, when burned.

BFRs take hundreds of years to degrade, and can build up inside humans and animals.

Of the 18 companies ranked by Greenpeace, Dell is now 13th, HP 14th, and Lenovo 16th.

HP was singled out in Greenpeace’s report as have failed to meet its commitments to remove toxic plastic twice.

The PC-maker first committed to removed PVCs and BFRs from production by the end of 2007.

It then postponed the commitment until 2009, and has now backtracked further with a new 2011 deadline.

An HP spokesperson said: “For decades HP has been a leader in environmental responsibility and has adopted practices in product development, operations and supply chain that are transparent and help to reduce its environmental impact.”

Dell pointed out its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions 40% by 2015.

“We remain committed to pro-actively eliminating environmentally sensitive substances from our products, and we are working closely with our suppliers to eliminate these chemicals from our products. This commitment is genuine,” a Dell spokesperson said.

Nokia achieved first place in the Greenpeace rankings, with Nintendo taking last position.