Greenpeace has released the latest edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics which ranks leading IT companies on their environmental record.

Sony Ericsson came off best in this year's rankings, picking up an almost perfect score for its reduction in the use of hazardous chemicals.

However, Greenpeace described the company's recycling programme as "pitiful" .

Sony placed second overall, and Nokia came third. Nokia would have taken the top spot in the rankings, but was docked a point after Greenpeace re-examined its take-back practices in India.

"Greenpeace aims to show which companies are serious about becoming environmental leaders," said Greenpeace international toxics campaigner Iza Kruszewska.

"Electronics giants pay attention to environmental performance on certain issues, while ignoring others that are just as important."

Bringing up the rear in the rankings was gaming firm Nintendo which scored 0.8 on the 10 point scale. Greenpeace blasted Nintendo for its lack of a recycling programme and providing little information on its renewable energy policies.

Apple, which has long been a target for Greenpeace, placed 11th in the 18-company list.

Apple was praised for its elimination of hazardous materials and the energy-efficiency of its products, but was penalised for a recycling programme that has limited international reach, according to Greenpeace.

Microsoft placed 17th on the list, particularly for its weak policies on recycling, energy efficiency and carbon reduction.

Other notable names on the list included Dell and Toshiba, which ranked fifth and sixth respectively. Both companies were praised for their chemical policies, but criticised for their recycling programmes.

HP ranked 10th, while Lenovo finished 13th just ahead of Philips and Fujitsu Siemens.

The study ranks electronics vendors on their environmental policies. Firms are graded on areas such as reduction of hazardous materials, product recycling and energy efficiency in the manufacturing process.