Nintendo: Wii is most energy efficient console of its generation

Nintendo has responded to a Greenpeace report published last week which named it as the most environmentally unfriendly electronics company in its annual survey.

The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics scored Nintendo just 1.4 out of 10 for its chemical, e-waste and energy policies. However Nintendo has argued that it takes environmental responsibilities seriously, and pointed out the Wii is more energy efficient than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

"We would like to assure customers that we take our environmental responsibilities seriously and are rigorous in our commitment to comply with all relevant laws relating to environmental and product safety, including avoiding the use of dangerous substances in our manufacturing processes and ensuring the safe disposal and recycling of materials," Nintendo said in a statement made to Eurogamer.

"We consider the environmental impact of our products over their entire life cycle, from planning to disposal. In the planning phase, for example, we make every effort to design energy-efficient products and select materials for component parts and packaging materials with careful consideration for the environment. We also consider the importance of reducing environmental impact at end-of-life disposal by clearly indicating the materials used in each product to make recycling easier.

"We also work to eliminate harmful substances from our products right from the initial stages of material selection and have established strict environmental control standards, with our 340 production partners all co-operating with us in our efforts."

The Wii is "notably the most energy efficient [console] of its generation," said the company, adding that the DS design had been improved to minimise energy consumption.

Nintendo was marked down in the guide in part because of its failure to submit information on energy and e-waste policies to Greenpeace. In the areas where data wasn't supplied, the company was scored zero.

The environmental group has previously slammed Nintendo for not making these policies public.

Microsoft fared little better in the report and came out just one place ahead of Nintendo with a score of 2.4.

Of the three console manufacturers, Sony came out on top with a score of 5.1 and praise for its reduced greenhouse gases output and increased use of recycled plastics.

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