Nintendo defends its green credentials

Gamers who like to keep an eye on their impact on theworld as they fire up their consoles are facing something of a puzzle over which hardware to buy, as Greenpeace and Nintendo have gone head-to-head over how environmentally friendly the Japanese gaming giant is.

It all started when Greenpeace released their 14th “Guide to Greener Electronics” report last week, in which the organisation ranked companies on their green credentials and gave each a mark out of 10. Nokia (7.3) topped the rankings, while of the three console-makers on the list, Sony came off the best (5.1), ranked seventh. Microsoft (2.4) came 17th, but in last place was Nintendo (1.4). Not that Nintendo agrees with the findings: describing the Wii as “notably the most energy efficient [console] of its generation”, in a statement to the website Eurogamer the company said: “We consider the environmental impact of our products over their entire life cycle, from planning to disposal.”