Go green or have your private business robocalled and vandalized. It happened to a computer manufacturer in a Greenpeace publicity stunt earlier this week that included William Shatner.
Greenpeace and the Canadian-born actor joined forces against Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ [1]) and accused the company of “breaking green promises” for not producing products completely free of PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants. Activists from the radical environmental group painted a giant message on the roof of Hewlett-Packard’s headquarters in
And in addition to the rooftop graffiti, Greenpeace set up an automated message to dial HP employee’s numbers and then play them a recorded message from Shatner.
“This is William Shatner speaking. You, HP, promised me a toxic-free computer by 2009,” Shatner said. “Now my friends at Greenpeace tell me that I have to wait until 2011. What’s up with that? Please, ask your leader, [HP CEO] Mark Hurd, to make computers that are free of toxic PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants just as Apple’s done.”
Although the act was glorified by the Los Angeles Times on July 28 [2], HP expressed their disappointment in the act. A representative from HP told the Business and Media Institute the company is committed to environmental responsibility and reducing the use of BFR/PVC in all their products.
“The unconstructive antics at HP’s headquarters did nothing to advance the goals that all who care about the environment share,” a spokeswoman said in an e-mail. “HP will continue its efforts to develop new products and programs around the globe that help the company, its business partners and customers conserve energy, reduce materials use and reduce waste through responsible reuse and recycling. HP supports industry efforts to eliminate BFR and PVC because of potential e-waste issues. HP is a worldwide leader in e-waste recycling. HP has recycled one billion pounds of electronic products from 1987-2007 and has committed to recycling another billion pounds between 2008-2011.”
HP declined to comment on the possibility of pressing charges against Greenpeace.