How green are Apple?

I just wondered. I think there stuff is cosmic man. I want them to be ethical.

I was just browsing the Apple online store and I noticed two things.

1. You can send your used Apple gadgets back to the company free of charge, for recycling.

2. You can buy reconditioned gadgets like the iPod and notebooks.

I'm not sure if reconditioned means returned faulty items, or if they reuse materials from recycled items as well.

Fritjof Capra talked about a new greener approach to the electronics industry in his book about sustainable approaches to modern technology and industry, The Hidden Connections. In it he proposes, instead of a buy and discard approach, companies should instead rent out electronic devices. That way it avoids much of the environmental impact from toxics that are released into the environment from many of these devices that are thrown away after they are used. In this respect the industry operates in essentially a kind of hermitically sealed sub environment, effectively for the greater part protecting the biosphere from any harmful by-products of it.

Ecotecture | Book Review | The Hidden Connections

Are Apple heading this way?

Apple - Environment

I've heard some criticism about the ethics of Apple, can't remember what they were though. I did a dug around, and found this article though.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Call for Apple to go even greener