Apple Inc chief executive Steve Jobs fired back at environmentalists on Wednesday, saying the maker of the ubiquitous iPod is an industry leader in removing toxic chemicals from its products and promoting recycling.
Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of next year, and the company will eventually stop using mercury and will transition to LED backlighting whenever possible, Jobs wrote in a five-page memo published on the company's Web site.
Apple will also change its communications strategy and be more proactive in promoting its environmental goals next year and beyond, Jobs said.
FIVE-PAGE MEMO
"It is generally not Apple's policy to trumpet our plans for the future," Jobs wrote.
"Unfortunately this policy has left our customers, shareholders, employees and the industry in the dark about Apple's desires and plans to become greener," he said.
The memo comes as activists target the company for lackluster recycling initiatives.
Environmentalists have picketed Apple's headquarters and company conferences, wearing placards and chanting, "From iPod to iWaste."
Although many environmentalists said they were happy Jobs had finally responded to their outcry, critics said the company's "Greener Apple" initiative fell short.
SHIPMENTS QUESTIONED
In particular, advocates want Apple to stop shipping old electronics to developing countries for recycling, said Barbara Kyle, coordinator for the Computer TakeBack Campaign.
A large share of electronic waste in the US is exported overseas to dismantling shops where poor workers are exposed to hazardous fumes and chemicals while trying to extract valuable metals and components, activists say.
In response to Jobs' memo, the environmental group Greenpeace said it will boost Apple's score in its Guide to Greener Electronics next month, probably to five out of 10, up from 2.7 currently.
"Apple's new commitment to environmental transparency and the phase out of the worst chemicals in its product range are genuine steps forward," Greenpeace spokesman Steve Smith said in a statement.
"We look forward to Apple going further to green their existing products," he said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique