Apple vs Dell

Why does Apple believe they have the greenest notebooks available? Well, they’ve taken some big steps to get greener. For example, the casing on new MacBooks is comprised entirely of recyclable aluminum, and Macbook glass displays are now made from mercury- and arsenic-free LED glass (also recyclable). Beyond just bare parts, Apple has designed their hardware and software to work together for energy efficiency, and they’ve received Energy Star ratings for it. In addition, many of the Apple-designed MacBook components like circuit boards and internal cords contain no brominated flame retardants (BFRs) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). All of the MacBook models have received the Gold score from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool ( EPEAT)--but then again, so did over 100 other notebook models (none of the laptops rated scored below silver).

In independent scoring, Dell tends to come out above Apple: Dell ranked 8th out of 18 from the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (five above Apple) with a score of 4.7 out of 10 (a 0.6 score difference) and Dell received a 49 out of 100 from Climate Counts, a score good enough to push them into the “Starting Out” category one above Apple’s “Stuck” and warrant Dell a “better choice for the climate-conscious consumer” labeling. At EPEAT, many Dell notebooks were given Gold scores with the rest receiving Silver. So why is Dell generally ranking higher? Reviewers cite Dell’s openness about goals (and whether they’ve met them or not) and their wide range of environmental action. For instance, they’ve implemented a free recycling program for all Dell-branded products and it’s one of the more convenient ones we’ve seen (they pick up your old goods), achieved carbon neutrality in 2008, and run a Plant a Tree for Me program which allows customers to purchase carbon offsets for a range of techie goods at checkout (a three year-laptop offset is just $2).

Of course, for many Americans price is a big factor in laptop purchases and that means Dell having a low starting price range for green computers may make these eco-friendly electronics more accessible. After all, green gear is only good if buyers can afford it.

The internal claim from Apple on the eco-factor of their laptops is a big one; unfortunately some of the independent reviews of their environmental friendliness indicate they have a ways to go before they can back up the bragging. Climate Counts rates Apple as “stuck”, with a score of 11…out of 100, and calls it a “choice to avoid for the climate-conscious consumer”. In fact, they were the only electronics brand to receive that lowest category rating. In the 2008 Greenpeace Greener Guide to Electronics, Apple was ranked 13th out of 18 companies rated with a score of 4.1 out of 10--perhaps Greenpeace was still a little unhappy with Steve Jobs for telling protesters outside the 2007 Macworld expo to “get out of the computer business [and] go save some whales.”

On the other hand, Dell has some shortcomings. Despite their openness about environmental efforts, reading through the action they’re taking can be like navigating a trickily-worded swamp—complete with jargon-filled graphs that seem to sidestep questions. It’s not always easy to interpret the exact action that’s being taken. And when it comes to BFRs and PVC, Dell has expressed a goal of completely removing those compounds from components, but has yet to reach it in a truly concrete way. Also some Dell displays still contain mercury, though Dell has committed to phasing it out in new safer LED displays by 2010.

When you start to delve into it, it can seem like a green Apple is just an advertising campaign, but don’t be too hasty to say that about the design favorite. In addition to their high notebook ranking with EPEAT and some recycling-friendly changes to new MacBooks, they’ve instituted recycling programs in 95% of the countries where their products are sold and they run a free recycling program for old computers of any type—provided you’re purchasing a new Mac. Plus some of the poor independent rankings on Apple’s eco-friendliness can seem a little biased (Greenpeace says mostly removing BFRs and PVC from their laptops isn’t enough to make them a green industry leader, but does that really mean they should be so far behind others who’ve made the same changes?). However, Apple did pledge to remove all BFRs and PVC from their notebooks by the end of 2008 and the deadline has come and gone while both substances still linger in MacBooks and broken promises don’t appeal to anyone.

Dell had expressed their desire to be “the greenest technology company on the planet” before Apple ever aired their greenest notebooks in the world ads, and they’ve done a decent job following that goal with serious steps in the right direction. They’ve even been honest about not being able to claim they are the greenest, but that they strive to be and how they do so. In light of the facts, should this be a clear cut decision? Not necessarily. Ultimately, both Apple and Dell seem to be showing progress toward greener computing. Both offer laptop options that feature their own unique green advantages. Both companies are making strides in their recycling programs. In the end, you have to weigh what’s important to you, and since the environmental snow ball is just getting rolling for computer makers, stay tuned to see how they follow through on promises (and make new ones), and continue to check in with third party ratings, like Climate Counts and Greenpeace.