Greenpeace forced out of Mac Expo

Greenpeace's stand at the London Mac Expo has been shut down following anonymous complaints to the organisers.

Greenpeace had bought the stall for the three-day expo in an attempt to raise awareness about its concerns over the use of toxic chemicals in Apple's products.

Apple was placed 11th out of 14 companies in Greenpeace's recently released Guide to Greener Electronics, with what the activists called "a poor showing on almost all criteria".

A statement from Apple at the time said the company disagreed with Greenpeace's rating and the criteria it chose.

"Apple has a strong environmental track record and has led the industry in restricting and banning toxic substances such as mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium, as well as many BFRs (brominated flame retardants)," Apple said.

"We have also completely eliminated CRT monitors, which contain lead, from our product line. Apple desktops, notebooks and displays each score best-in-class in the new Environmental Protection Agency ranking system EPEAT, which uses international standards set by IEEE. "

Greenpeace said it was asked to close down its stall at the Mac Expo after event organisers "received complaints from unnamed sources".

Volunteers had been signing up Mac fans to challenge Apple to go green and handing out flyers and organic green apples.

Iza Kruszewska, a Greenpeace International campaigner who was at the event, described the organiser's reaction as "totally over-the-top".

"Apple refuses to address our criticisms on its products, both for the recycling and for the use of harmful chemicals," Kruszewska said.

"Instead of hiding its head in the sand, Apple should be a world leader in the greening of the electronics industry, not lagging behind."

Greenpeace claims that Apple withholds its full list of regulated substances, provides no timelines for eliminating toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and no commitment to phasing out all uses of brominated flame retardants (BFRs).

Kruszewska added: "It's time for Apple to use clean components in all of its products and to provide a free take-back programme to re-use and recycle its products wherever they are sold."

Greenpeace's volunteers have vowed to return to the expo tomorrow to continue the Green my Apple campaign.