Greenpeace raps HP over environmental record

HP has been accused of dragging its feet in eradicating toxic chemicals from production processes

Environmental pressure group Greenpeace has accused HP of dragging its feet in clearing toxic chemicals from its production line.

HP recently announced plans to eliminate brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from casings of new products. BFRs are toxic chemicals used to resist high levels of heat.
But Greenpeace China pointed out that other IT firms had taken the same step several years ago, and accused HP of falsely claiming environmentally friendly credentials.

Greenpeace said in a statement: "This small step still leaves HP way behind the rest of the electronics industry.

"Despite the fact that Greenpeace has been in dialogue with HP for almost two years, the company has yet to make a commitment on phasing out harmful substances."

HP in the UK has been a leading supporter of the proposed national recycling legislation designed to dispose of materials safely.

But most used hardware still ends up in countries such as China and India, where low-paid workers are exposed to hazardous substances in Mad Max-style recycling plants.

Greenpeace said that HP rival Acer had a more environment-friendly track record with a commitment to announce a substitution plan to phase out all BFRs.

The group singled out other manufacturers as laggards, including Apple, Dell, IBM and Lenovo.

HP declined to comment.