Apple talks about eliminating PVC

BusinessWeek posted a feature today on Apple Inc.'s efforts to catch up to other computer makers on the sustainability front.

Plastics Blog readers will be most interested in what the story has to say about PVC. Here's an excerpt that the story has under the subhead "Eliminating PVC and Other Toxic Materials":

Apple is also winning kudos for an intensified effort to eliminate toxic materials. While many tech companies have promised to stop using particular commercial compounds that include bromine and chlorine, Apple two years ago began requiring suppliers to prove that their products included none of these chemicals at all. That required a major investment, says COO [Tim] Cook, including hiring chemists to help suppliers come up with alternatives. Take PVC, the additive that gives computer cables their flexibility. To avoid using the material inside its products, Apple came up with a "special blend" of polyester.

Meantime, while both Dell and HP had promised to stop using PVC by the end of 2009, both recently said the goal was impossible because of a lack of commercial substitutes. Yet Apple met its target of 2008 for the innards of its devices, and sources say future products will ship with PVC-free power, mouse, and monitor cords. "We report what we've done, while others set goals they can't meet -- and then they're let off the hook," gripes Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer, noting that Dell and HP rank highly in a recent green list in Newsweek.

Apple may be anti-PVC, but it's not anti-plastic. Numerous blogs, including Gizmodo, are reporting today at the computer maker is preparing to introduce a polycarbonate-body MacBook later this year.