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In an international Green Factor study of 3,500 enterprise IT decision makers conducted by Strategic Oxygen and Cohn &Wolfe, Dell was the highest ranked of 26 brands thanks largely to its recycling programme – the most important attribute sought by IT professionals.

HP, IBM and Microsoft were rated for their energy efﬁcient products and use of sustainable materials, while Apple held its position in the top ﬁve for designing products perceived to have a green look and feel.

The survey looked at the key attributes buyers look for in a product or supplier. It found that buyers attached greatest importance to the qualities of a brand’s products, but that they also considered the sustainability of a company’s operations. The ﬁrst category includes the use of biodegradable/recyclable materials; products or packaging that appears to be green because the design is clean; recycling programs for old hardware; energy efﬁciency; and products that help businesses promote a green image of themselves.

The second category includes green facilities (manufacturing and/or datacentres), green shipping methods (e.g. non-wasteful packaging, efﬁcient transportation), and leadership in developing new green technologies. The Top 10 green brands according to IT professionals in the US are Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Google, Cisco, Sun and Sony.

The top 10 for British respondents are IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Apple, HP, Google, Intel, Sony, Nokia and Cisco.

Guide to Greener Electronics provides an interesting counterpoint to the Green Factor study, which tends to reﬂect the marketing muscle of American computer manufacturers.

Now in its 11th edition, Greenpeace’s guide is designed to encourage leading electronics companies to reduce the volume and toxicity of e-waste and address climate change through improved energy efﬁciency.

Researchers assess and rank 17 leading electronics brands based on their record in a number of key areas, including: the elimination of harmful substances notably vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated ﬂame retardants (BFRs), but also all phthalates, beryllium (including alloys and compounds) and antimony/antimony compounds; worldwide producer take-back and recycling programmes; the use of recycled materials including plastic; a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and the development of energy efﬁcient products. Judged on these criteria, US computer manufacturers appear to be lagging behind European and Far Eastern companies.

Greenpeace’s lastest ranking has Nokia in ﬁrst place, followed by Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Philips, Sony, LG Electronics, Toshiba, Motorola, Sharp, Apple, Acer, Panasonic, Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft, HP and Nintendo.

Users of Canon MFPs are being invited to recycle their used toner bottles – but they will have to pay £30 plus VAT for the privilege of doing so, unlike Canon’s printer customers who continue to enjoy a free cartridge recycling service.

The service is run in partnership with recycling specialist eReco, which will recycle the toner, plastics and metal parts according to a zero landﬁll policy. Materials recovered in the process are used to manufacture a variety of products including washing machine parts, trafﬁc cones, building materials, ﬁre alarm casings and games consoles.

Canon is asking customers who want to take advantage of the fully audited service to contact eReco to order a £30 bag, which, when full, will be collected for recycling.

Depending on the MFP model, toner bottles last

for between 6,000 and 20,000 pages

The £500,000 plant was constructed in Germany and shipped to the UK on four vehicles before being assembled at a newly acquired facility near the Group’s Staffordshire head ofﬁce.

It is capable of crunching half a tonne of equipment per hour and reducing it to pieces smaller than 30mm, from which all precious metals and iron are then extracted.

According to James Bird, CEO of Stone Group, the new plant will enable the company to provide customers with a complete cradle-to-grave service. He said: “Stone has always been prized by our customers for the wraparound services we offer, including our extended warranties and in-house service and support teams. Now we are extending that cradle-to-grave service by looking after our customers’ equipment when it reaches its end of life.”