Following its critical comments on the gaming industry in its most recent Guide to Greener Electronics, Greenpeace has begun a new campaign to persuade console makers to step up their commitment to the environment.
Greenpeace has kicked off the Clash of the Consoles campaign with a 90-second video featuring Mario, Master Chief and Kratos, central characters in the top videogame franchises from Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, competing for the prize of a greener game console. Greenpeace is also undertaking a wider effort against the electronics industry as a whole, which is claims uses hazardous chemicals including BFRs and PVCs which can lead to dangerous chemical build-ups in the environment.
“Game console manufacturers are lagging way behind the makers of mobile phones and PCs who have been reducing the toxic load of the products over the past year,” Zenia Al Hajj of Greenpeace International said in a BBC report. “Game consoles contain many of the same components as PCs so manufacturers can do a lot more.”
Nintendo, who suffered the brunt of Greenpeace criticism by receiving the first zero score ever given by the Greener Electronics Guide, said it wants to “establish a dialog” with Greenpeace, but that it already adheres to all European standards. A Nintendo spokesman said, “We make sure that all of our products comply with European standards which we understand are the highest in the world,” and the company is also part of the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive, which holds them responsible for recycling their products.
More information, including the new promotional video and details about how Kratos is putting the boots to Mario and Master Chief with his dedicated recycling efforts, is available at the Greenpeace Clash of the Consoles website.
