A recent evaluation of Nintendo’s environmental impact was outlined in the quarterly “Guide to Greener Electronics” by Greenpeace, an international organization for the conservation and protection of the environment. The guide scores companies on the basis of three criteria:
(1) Energy use
(2) E-waste
(3) Hazardous chemical regulation
In the latest edition, Nintendo earned itself a score of 0.8 out of a possible 10 points. Although that’s an improvement from Nintendo’s previous score of zero, the corporation continues to remain in last place behind 16 other leading electronic companies such as Sony, Microsoft, and Nokia.
One of the biggest reasons Nintendo scored so poorly is due to its failure to set a timeline for alleged plans to voluntarily phase out polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Satura Iwado, President of Nintendo Co., stated in a 2008 interview, "Nintendo recognizes the importance of meeting global standards, and complies with regulations on chemical substances used in our products according to considerably very strict European standards."
Despite such claims, other dangerous chemicals such as antimony, beryllium compounds, and BFR have remained in use alongside a multitude of toxins listed as “substances under application control.” In fact, the list of chemicals that Nintendo has banned consists primarily of substances whose use is prevented by law; the exception being natural rubber, which was voluntarily phased out due to allergic reactions among customers.
Nintendo’s carbon dioxide emissions prove that the company’s efforts to minimize their carbon footprint are lackluster at best. “Nintendo discloses carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its own operations and has committed to cutting emissions and other greenhouse gases by 2% over each previous year. However, Nintendo admits that an increase in business led to a 6% rise in CO2 emissions in 2006” (Greenpeace.org).
Nintendo reports for the 2007 fiscal year show that the company emitted 7,417 tons of carbon dioxide in Japan and 17,636 tons of CO2 overseas. In a recent report, modifications to a formula from a recent study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) was able to estimate the annual CO2 emissions of video game consoles in the United States. By making further modifications to this formula, it is possible to calculate that the combined emissions of each Nintendo Wii alone emits approximately 61 million kilograms (67,240 tons) of CO2 per year.
Nintendo’s President has stated that their stance on environmental issues is to act in a way that will “put smiles on the faces of everyone Nintendo touches.” As such, Nintendo has chosen not to acquire certification from Environmental Management Standards, and instead promotes their own PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Action) cycle for reducing environmental burdens. They have developed their own Green Procurement Standards, which demands that chemical analysis are conducted at each stage of production by third party certification organizations and production partners. In addition, they have removed PVC from the internal wiring of consoles and created a more energy efficient design for the Wii, thus lowering its power consumption. A Nintendo Wii uses an average of 16 watts, compared to the Sony Playstation 3 or Microsoft XBOX 360 which use 150 watts and 119 watts respectively.
On a larger scale, the company has developed energy efficient models at many corporate offices in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions. They are also currently building a new corporate office that encompasses LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification standards. Nintendo has also made attempts to facilitate the recycling of their products, by designing products for easy disassembly and reducing the use of composite materials.
Although Nintendo has displayed an increased interest in the company’s environmental impact, Greenpeace’s claim that “Nintendo completely fails to show any environmental credentials” has yet to be discredited. It is essential that Nintendo works to establish a timeline for the phasing out of dangerous chemicals such as PVC. Merely stating that they intend to do so is not enough. The company should also be much more proactive in its regulation of chemicals, and consider phasing out many more toxins than just those required by law. In addition, Nintendo needs to be held accountable for its actions and should be expected to release more information about its environmental standards.
Part of the reason why the company scored so poorly on the Greenpeace electronics scorecard is that there was no information provided for grading, resulting in an automatic zero. However it seems that not all of the blame should be directed toward Nintendo. An article in the Environmental Leader stated:
In September [2007], manufacturers at IFA, Europe’s biggest consumer electronics show, tried to entice consumers with environmentally-friendly product details but consumers were more interested in bigger and brighter screens. But PriceGrabber.com reports that 71 percent of those responding to its recent holiday survey say it is important to them to purchase eco-friendly products.If a company can maintain its reputability despite an atrocious environmental record, there’s no motivation to invest in the implementation of greener business standards. Consumers need to put pressure on electronic companies to think more about product impacts if they expect to see a change in environmental regulations.
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