Japanese computer companies are greenest

Canon, Toshiba, and IBM are the computer manufacturers with the most responsible environmental performance, according to the third Computer Report Card. Produced by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, a nonprofit environmental organization, the report card found that 7 of the top 10 manufacturers that operate in the United States were Japanese. The ratings illuminate a “widening chasm” between the practices of U.S. and Japanese computer companies, according to the report. It documents that companies including IBM, Apple, and Sony maintain “double-standards” by offering free product take-back programs in Europe that are not available, or are only available for a fee, in the United States. To see the report card, go to http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/2001report.htm. —KELLYN S. BETTS