If you haven’t yet hopped aboard the green train, you may not have heard of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). The relatively new environmental rating system assists developers in discerning the most green amongst computers and other digital products.
EPEAT is currently utilized by hundreds of organizations including major companies, universities and governmental agencies – primarily because the rating system offers an easy way to search through a large database in order to gauge the green factor of specific equipment. For partakers, EPEAT is an ideal opportunity to showcase – and advocate environmentally-friendly production.
In recent news, the Better Business Bureau has become involved in a feud between leading companies Dell and Apple, spawned by Dell’s uneasiness with Apple’s recent claims that its popular MacBook line is the “world’s greenst family of notebooks.” (According to Dell, referring to the entire “family” of notebooks is too large a term, and therefore misleading to consumers , since not every product ever launched in the Apple line falls under the “most green” umbrella.)
It is the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the BBB that stepped in and ultimately approved Apple’s employment of EPEAT guidelines as a bolster in its MacBook marketing plan – however they did recommend that Apple alter its wording from the “world’s greenest family of notebooks”. by omitting the overstated “world‘s greenest wording“ and also “to make clearer that the basis of comparison is between all MacBooks to all notebooks made by a given competitor.
In should be noted that Apple has maintained an impressive high rating by EPEAT when it comes to its notebook stock – and they are indeed much “greener” than most other Apple equipment – including three Toshiba notebooks that were rewarded the highest Gold EPEAT rankings.
Nevertheless, the disagreement spawns a necessary reassessment of the wording with which we use when determining the degree of “greenness” with which a product has been manufactured – and will probably result in battles in the future similar to this one.
No matter how “green” it, you’ll want all of your electronics to last a long time – so head to CPS today and secure your tech toys with a warranty.
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