You've heard of the no-fly list? Â Well, there's also a no-buy list for federal agencies and Apple is now on it.
Reason? The secretive computer and gadget company has withdrawn from a voluntary program that certifies products meet minimum environmental protection standards.
"We regret that Apple will no longer be registering its products in EPEAT. We hope that they will decide to do so again at some point in future," said a statement posted by the federal body that administers the environmental protection program.
Under a law passed in 2009, companies must submit their products to the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) for certification if they want to sell to federal agencies.
It's not clear why Apple has pulled out of the program. The U.S. government is, after all, one of the largest -- if not the largest -- purchaser of computer and electronics gear.Â
Not a crusader
Apple is not exactly known for its crusading environmental activism. Greenpeace and other groups have criticized Apple for its secrecy and refusal to open its manufacturing process to scrutiny by outside groups.
In one of its latest beefs with Apple, Greenpeace is charging that the "iCloud" is hosted on servers powered by electricity generated by coal-burning plants.
"They said their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements," said Robert Frisbee, CEO of the EPEAT program, the Wall Street Journalreported. "They were important supporters and we are disappointed that they don't want their products measured by this standard anymore."
Blowing off the U.S. government is one thing but in this case, Apple's drop-out is likely to fall even farther from the tree. Many educational institutions, local and state governments and non-profit organizations have their own environmental programs and they're not likely to be pleased to learn that Apple no longer supports standards that are intended to ensure that computer equipment can be easily broken down for recycling.
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Yes