Earlier this year, Apple's
Apple does operate an admirable recycling program. Jobs' letter noted that in 2006, the company recycled 13 million pounds of "e-waste," including printers and monitors. That's roughly 9.5% of the weight of all the products Apple had sold seven years earlier. (Dell
Jobs' letter forecasts that this percentage will increase in 2007 to 13% of all products sold seven years earlier, climbing further to 20% in 2008, and reaching as much as 30% by 2010. In comparison, Jobs points out that Dell and Hewlett-Packard
However, as an avid Mac user, a Foolish investor, and a firm believer that companies must adopt long-term sustainable practices, I think Apple could be doing much more. I may be wrong about this, but I've got no way of knowing otherwise. The scant information Apple provides on its sustainability programs pales in comparison to the detail given by other corporate giants.
Among the companies I've studied, Unilever
My Foolish colleague Georges Yared highlighted three reasons to buy Apple, noting that some money managers predict that the company's shares will top $200 in 2008. That's nothing to sneeze at, but as a long-term investor looking well past next year, I'd like to see another reason to buy Apple: a superior set of environmentally responsible business practices.
More Foolishness on Apple:
- Is the iPhone the New iPod?
- One Really Great Reason Not to Buy Apple
- Fool on Call: Best Buy and Apple Team Up
Dell does double duty as a Stock Advisor and Inside Value pick. Unilever and Johnson & Johnson are Income Investor selections. Try any of our Foolish newsletters free for 30 days.
Fool contributor Jeremy MacNealy has no financial interest in any company mentioned. The Motley Fool's disclosure policy gives a hoot.