RE: Please take real action to clean up Apple’s toxic chemicals and recycling policy

Dear Mr. Jobs,

Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics ranks Apple near the bottom in getting toxic chemicals out of its products and adopting a first class recycling policy. While Apple is famous for innovation, it would be a shame to see Apple become infamous for polluting the environment.

The toxic chemicals you use in your products end up in scrap yards in Asia where they contaminate child laborers and the environment. Your voluntary "recycling" program is weak and non-existent outside the U.S. unless required by local governments.

Your company has a reputation for intelligent design and responsible business practices. It is encouraging to read on the Apple website that you are “committed to reducing the environmental impact” of the work you do and products you create. This makes it especially disappointing to learn that Apple lags behind companies such as Dell and HP in reducing toxic chemicals and in offering programs to take back broken or obsolete products from consumers. I am especially concerned about the design and take back policies for the iPod. Considering that the iPod battery wears down long before the rest of its hardware and that it is expensive and difficult to replace, I fear that many iPods will wind up in landfills where the lead and other toxic chemicals they contain will put communities, ecosystems, and workers who harvest scrap parts at risk.

I am also disappointed that, unlike Dell and HP, you do not support legislation here in the U.S. that would require companies such as Apple to take responsibility for the electronics they sell once they have become obsolete. These requirements are already standard in other parts of the world where you do business.

Apple needs to do more to live up to its commitments to the environment by:

Getting toxic chemicals out of its products.
Offering direct, affordable take back policies for the iPod and other electronics.
Designing iPods so that batteries can be easily and affordably replaced with rechargeables.
Supporting legislation that requires responsible manufacturing and recycling.

I strongly urge you to become an industry leader in making products that actually improve our health and the environment. As a concerned American consumer and computer user, I will continue to closely monitor Apple’s actions in honoring its environmental commitments, and will make my purchasing decisions accordingly.

Sincerely,

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