Greenpeace claims victory over HP at CeBIT

Greenpeace waged a three-year campaign against HP over its use of brominated flame retardants

Greenpeace is claiming that it has forced HP to reduce the number of toxic chemicals in its computer products. 

The pressure group has built a large sculpture outside the CeBIT trade show in Hanover made of computer parts to highlight the issue of waste in IT.

Greenpeace waged a three-year campaign against HP after claiming that the company included high levels of brominated flame retardants in its PCs. It said that HP has agreed to phase out the chemicals by 2007. 

"The motto for this year's CeBIT is 'digital solutions for work and life'," said Greenpeace toxics campaigner Martin Hojsík. "We want next year's motto to be 'digital solutions without pollution'."

Greenpeace has now moved HP off its IT offenders list, along with companies like Sony and Nokia. 

Dell, Apple and Lenovo, however, have a less than admirable record, according to the pressure group, and remain on the list of 'bad guys'. 

Last year HP offered all its European business customers a free pickup service for PC recycling, in accordance with the new WEEE directive. 

"Although HP has been recycling for many years, the new free recycling service will be available for the first time throughout the entire European Union," said Kirstie McIntyre, WEEE programme manager for HP UK & Ireland.

"By offering the new one-stop service for free, HP is making it easy for businesses to use. Unlike the previous recycling programme, there are no calculations or negotiations regarding the volume and type of products being returned."

An HP spokesman told vnunet.com: "HP eliminated more than 95 per cent of the brominated flame retardants used in the external case parts of its products more than 10 years ago.

"During the same timeframe, the company also eliminated polyvinyl chloride from the external case parts of its products.

"Work continues on the identification of flame retardants to replace the remaining uses with alternatives that will not compromise product performance and will not present health or environmental risks."