Isra-Mart srl: BlackBerry maker hits bottom of green electronics rankings‎

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Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has come bottom of a list of the world's greenest electronics firms. The Canadian-based mobile maker is featured for the first time in the quarterly Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics, published on Wednesday and ranking 15 top electronic companies by their environmental policies and the impact of their products.

According to the campaign group, RIM does not have a clean electricity plan or a target to increase use of renewable energy. Its products are energy inefficient, and it is a member of a trade association that has attacked stringent energy efficiency standards, Greenpeace says.

Although the report is not designed to be a product guide for consumers, it does allow for a comparison of the leading manufacturers of PCs, TVs and mobile phones.

"Right now, HP takes the top spot because it is scoring strongly by measuring and reducing carbon emissions from its supply chain, reducing its own emissions and advocating for strong climate legislation. However all companies we included in the guide have an opportunity to show more leadership in reducing their climate impact," said Greenpeace International campaigner Tom Dowdall.

Dell takes second position, making a dramatic improvement from its 10th position in the last guide. The computer manufacturer scores well for having the most ambitious climate target, with plans to reduce its emissions by 40 per cent by 2020, and a strong policy on sustainable paper sourcing. After three years at the top, Nokia has slipped from first place to third, mainly due to weaker performance on the energy criteria.

The guide, which assesses companies based on their public information only, was first started in August 2006. It was set out mainly to put pressure on manufacturers to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Greenpeace claims it has already prompted improvements - particularly noticeable for mobile phones and PCs, with less progress having been made on TVs.

In response to the progress, the environmental watch group added new criteria and challenged firms to reduce their carbon footprint in manufacturing, in their supply chain and through to the end-of-life phase of their products and to set ambitious goals for renewable energy use. The latest version of the guide also features new criteria for the sourcing of paper, conflict minerals and product life cycle.

A RIM spokeswoman told the Guardian: "We are continuing to improve our sustainability practices and have a number of initiatives underway."

A Nokia spokesman said: "We are still No1 compared to any other mobile and device manufacturer, we stick to our sustainability targets."