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Most likely, you’re aware of the flak Apple has received from environmental groups over the past couple of months. They landed at the bottom of Greenpeace’s Green Electronics Guide, which ranks companies on their take-back initiatives and their use of toxic substances in products, in both December and March. But last week, Steve Jobs, under the headline “A Greener Apple,” announced his intentions to make Apple a look a little more Granny Smith-like. Jobs outlined new initiatives on the company’s website, announcing plans for the near and not-so-near future. He also attributed many of Apple’s low rankings, not to the company’s lack of eco-friendliness, but rather, to its inability to properly convey its environmental friendliness to stakeholders. “Upon investigating Apple’s current practices and progress towards these [sustainability] goals, I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas. Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well,” Jobs said in his statement. Here are some thoughts on the main points in Jobs’ memo:

1) Apple eliminated the use of CRT monitors, replacing them with LCD monitors in 2006. Even though CRT monitors pack significantly more lead than LCDs, the latter still contain mercury. Apple intends to eliminate the element by switching from fluorescent lamps to LED backlights, which use 12% less energy. (iPods already use LEDs, and Jobs says Apple plans to introduce the first LED Macs this year.) However he also stated that the transition to LED backlighting will occur when it is “technically and economically feasible.” So even though it still really is all about the Bengamins, in his statement, Jobs says that employees, stakeholders and customers deserve to know where Apple is, and where it’s headed, when it comes to going green. That is, after all, the main reason why Apple chose to create public awareness about its eco-initiatives and why it chose to set goals for the eco-friendly future. Economic benefit comes first, but Apple’s announcement is

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