Blog: Toxics

Philips have made progress in the latest version of our Guide to Greener Electronics - released today. The company's new Econova TV is the first on the market to be free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), putting it well ahead of other TV manufacurers.

The guide ranks the 18 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and the climate impacts of their operations. There's also a detailed reports on each company's performance.

So just how green are big names such as Nokia, Microsoft, Sony and HP?

See full guide on our international site to find out »

Gulf of Mexico oil slick: the view from space © NASA

The Gulf of Mexico is in the news right now, because of a catastrophic oil spill. You will probably already have seen the pictures. We’ve already pointed out that this is yet another example of the impact our global dependency on oil is having, and how BP in particular, are at fault for their relentless pursuit of the black stuff. They’ll seemingly stop at nothing to fill up oil barrels.

The images we most associate with oil spills are of the impact on wildlife: sea otters in Prince William Sound , or seabirds in Shetland, covered with oil. It’s a dramatic and easily understood impact on our seas’ biodiversity.