Greenpeace to protest at UK iPhone launch

Planning rallies for Friday

6 November 2007 9:05 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

MacNN reports that Greenpeace is planning a rally during Apple's launch of the iPhone in Europe to protest the use of alleged toxic chemicals in the device, including brominated flame retardants.

The environmental campaigners argue that tests conducted by its UK labs reveal the presence of PVCs and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), both potentially dangerous compounds, which although within the legal limits, the use of which could have been avoided.

Zeina Alhajj, campaign co-ordinator for Greenpeace, told EE Times "The iPhone is a unique product and for us it is a missed opportunity for Apple to combine the innovation of the product with a green performance. If Apple really wants to reinvent the phone, it needs to design out all hazardous substances and materials from its handsets and peripherals".