Nintendo customer service responds to Greenpeace findings

And here we go again! Earlier today, we posted on Greenpeace’s second report that included Nintendo, and once again, Nintendo scored extremely low. While they managed to raise their score by .3 this year, that still gave them a grand total of 0.3. Reader 8-Bit Jay sent an email to Nintendo customer service to see what they had to say about Greenpeace’s findings, and the rep response is below.

We were surprised by the content of the Greenpeace report, given that we take great care to comply with all relevant regulations on avoiding the use of dangerous materials, recycling, etc. As is stated in the manuals of the Wii console and DS Lite, neither product contains latex, lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). Additionally, we have been phasing out the use of PVC in our packaging, using a safer, recyclable plastic instead.

We take great care to comply with all relevant regulations on avoiding the use of dangerous materials. All Nintendo products supplied worldwide are designed to comply with relevant global standards. In order to certify that Nintendo products comply with standards for hazardous chemical substances, Nintendo has established the Green Procurement Standards, which require our component suppliers to certify that any parts they deliver do not include hazardous chemical substances, and ensure that Nintendo fully controls its products internally.

Regarding a “take back” program for obsolete products, our products tend to avoid obsolescence as consumers hang on to them long after having upgraded. In addition, consumer demand for used Nintendo products remains high, resulting in very infrequent requests for recycling options. However, for those who wish to recycle, there are a variety of programs available in their local area.

Rechargeable batteries may be taken to most local office supply stores and other disposal centers to be recycled for free. More information may be found on the website below:

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/battery.htm

For hardware, there are a variety of websites dedicated to providing information on local recycling options. I’ve provided a direct link to one of them below:

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/donate.htm

For consumers who aren’t able to take advantage of local recycling options for either rechargeable batteries or hardware, they may contact us to make arrangements to have it sent in to Nintendo to be recycled by calling 1-800-255-3700. Representatives are available to speak to you between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, seven days a week.