“We Love our Macs” | Just Not in San Francisco!
Late last month Apple withdrew 39 of its green compliant MacBooks and desktops from EPEAT, the registry for promoting green electronic purchases.
Now, San Francisco city officials plan to block the purchase of Apple desktops and laptops for use by the all its municipal agencies. The officials from the San Francisco Department of Environment told CIO Journal that, ” Apple does not therefore qualify any purchase using city funds”.
In the coming two weeks officials are planning to send out letters to all their 50 agencies not to buy Apple’s Macs and desktops lack the green electronics certification.
This move according to San Francisco’s chief information officer and head of city computer procurement who according to CIO Journal backed the policy would be problematic to the firm even if only some 2 percent of their products are Apple.
Other institutions and cities would adopt the same policy causing a replica effect.
According to Chris Geiger, manager of green purchasing at San Francisco’s Department of Environment, San Francisco is prominent in environmental circles, and many local governments from around the country look to his office for guidance on green purchasing, he said. The move could influence policy far outside the city limits.
Geiger told CIO Journal, “In terms of purchasing power it’s just a drop in the bucket” He added, “But there are a lot of cities and counties who will do what San Francisco does.”
Speculators wonder why Apple pulled its products from EPEAT as it was in 2006 among the manufacturers to jointly form the authority with government agencies, and activist groups to make recycling efficient.
Melanie Nutter, director of San Francisco’s Department of Environment which also approves the purchases other agencies and is moving for zero waste by 2020 was disappointed by Apple’s move and hopes the firm “will reconsider its participation.”
According to CIO Journal the firm products are already facing reviews from Cornell University and University of California, Berkeley.
However with all the proposed withdrawals by city agencies and various firms Apple claims to have own recycling programs superior than the certification and though its and is transparent than other companies and has its annual environmental impact reports online.
This move however does not affect Apple’s iPhone, iPad . The agencies and institutions might as well reconsider their decision a wish earlier expressed by Melanie Nutter, director of San Francisco’s Department of Environment.
