Which electronics makers are the greenest?

Consumers naturally want to know what products are the best performers and the best values, but surveys and experts tell us that more and more also want to know which products and companies are the best at protecting the environment. While the organization is certainly controversial, Greenpeace has just released the latest version of its Guide to Greener Electronics, which names top performers, notable improvers and laggards in reducing the use of toxic chemicals, promoting recycling and combating climate change.

HP and Apple are singled out for special praise in the latest report. HP's kudos are based on its brand new ProBook 5310m, which is being offered in a configuration that's largely free of toxic chemicals -- a first for the company. Earlier this year, Greenpeace launched an all-out assault on the company -- including a protest at HP's global headquarters that featured some well-publicized vandalism -- for its apparent rollback on a commitment to produce such products. We can't say if one action led to the other, but ...

"HP has made the first step in catching up with Apple, which eliminated these materials from its entire product line almost a year ago," said Greenpeace's Casey Harrell. Apple also earns some additional greenie points for making its environmental initiatives more transparent, though that move happened too late to be a factor in Greenpeace's latest ratings.

For now, however, Apple and HP remain middle-of-the-pack performers on Greenpeace's green scale. Instead, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson score highest for their environmental efforts, though all three don't escape some criticism. At the other end the scale, Microsoft, Fujitsu, Lenovo and Nintendo are rated as the least green electronics manufacturers.