Apple Is Placing All Eligible Products Back on EPEAT Registry

Last week we reported that Apple asked EPEAT to withdraw its products from its registry, and said that it would no longer register its devices in EPEAT for evaluation. EPEAT assesses the environmental impact of electronic devices and its rating is used by many governmental organizations and corporations as a yardstick for purchases of electronics.

In response to Apple's decision, the city of San Francisco stated that it would no longer buy Mac computers without EPEAT certification.

Today, in a surprising move, Bob Mansfield, Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, wrote a letter announcing that Apple is putting all of its eligible products back into EPEAT registry. The letter said:

“We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT.

It’s important to know that our commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever. Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry”.

Bob Mansfield is sending out copies of the letter to customers who had voiced concerns over removal of Apple’s products from EPEAT registry.

A full list of products certified by EPEAT is available on EPEAT website, and includes the latest models of MacBook Air and the new MacBook Pro with Retina display.

CEO of EPEAT Robert Frisbee wrote a letter affirming EPEAT and Apple’s commitment to cooperating and hinting at possible changes to the EPEAT evaluation criteria in order to reward innovations.