Apple has recently decided to ditch a green electronics certification from its products, sparking lots controversy and criticism. Now, San Francisco city officials said they are taking measures to forbid all municipal agencies from purchasing Apple desktops and laptops.
Officials with San Francisco's Department of Environment told CIO Journal on Monday, July 9, that they would sent out letters within the next two weeks to notify all 50 municipal agencies that Apple's laptops and desktops "will no longer qualify" for purchase with city funds.
This move follows CIO Journal's report that Apple had removed its laptops and notebooks from a voluntary registry of green electronics called EPEAT. The standard was jointly created by several manufacturers, including Apple, as well as government agencies and activist groups, requiring manufacturers to design electronic products with higher energy efficiency and easier recycling.
According to EPEAT employees, Apple requested late last month that all 39 of its certified MacBooks and desktops be removed from the registry. "We are disappointed that Apple chose to withdraw from EPEAT," said Melanie Nutter, director of the San Francisco Department of Environment, as cited by The Wall Street Journal. "We hope that the city saying it will not buy Apple products will make Apple reconsider its participation."
The Department's letter to municipal agencies will cite a 2007 policy according to which city funds can only be used to purchase EPEAT-certified desktops, monitors, and laptops, said Nutter. The Department of Environment, however, has only an advisory role over other agencies' purchases, but does not have the final say.
On the other hand, San Francisco's Chief Information Officer Jon Walton, who has the authority over city computer purchases, told CIO Journal that he would support the policy and would no longer permit agencies to purchase Apple computers. Agencies will have the option to apply for waivers through a "long" and "onerous" process. "It's going to be very problematic to procure Apple products," said Walton.
Meanwhile, other chief information officers in government and educational institutions, where Apple has a strong presence, could also be required to lose Apple's MacBooks and iMacs. The federal government, for instance, requires that 95 percent of its laptops and desktop computers be EPEAT-certified.
Moreover, many of the top universities require their IT teams to purchase only EPEAT-certified products. Following Apple's withdrawal from EPEAT, administrators at Cornell University and University of California, Berkeley, told CIO Journal they are reviewing their Apple purchases.
According to EPEAT's Robert Frisbee, one of Apple's most recent products, the MacBook Pro with retina display released last month, would not have been eligible for EPEAT certification. Frisbee said the device would not have been eligible because its battery was glued to its case, which would make recycling difficult, as the process requires separating toxic parts.
Still, the approach San Francisco city officials opted for is largely symbolic, as only one-to-two percent total of municipal computers, meaning roughly 500 - 700, are Macs, estimated Walton. The last year for which the city has complete reports is 2010. Based on those reports, the city spent $45,579 on Apple desktops, laptops and iPads, compared to a total of $3.8 million spent on desktops and laptops that year.
