You might be like me in believing that Apple's new Macbook is the greenest laptop out there. This is what the commercial implies anyway. Or, you might even think Apple is the greenest company ever, according to a recent survey. Not exactly, competition and environmentalist say. They perceive Apple's Macbook ad as a misleading marketing ploy and argue that Apple's environmental record lags behind the industry's green leaders such as Dell and Hewlett Packard. So what exactly is wrong with saying you are the greenest of them all? Presumably, Apple's ad aimed to increase its sales among eco-conscious consumers and restore its slumping share price. Why not use a little green marketing to achieve this objective? The problem is that once you claim to be the greenest you'd better be ready to prove that in face of increasing scrutiny. For instace, as a result of the ad and the scrutiny that followed, we now know that Asustek laptops are, in fact, the greenest of all. And that Apple is behind its competition in reducing greenhouse gas emissions or using clean energy.
Overall, more green competition is good, particularly for us, consumers. I wish many other companies and industries would reach a similar level of concern for environmental impact.




