Will consumers swallow a greener Apple?

It may be true that environmental groups are singling out Apple for special attention in order to get clean-tech issues more ink. It may also be true that Apple is making an effort to green up its processes to polish its image. The big question, though, is whether the consumers who stand between the company and the activists are willing to spend more of their own green to advance the cause.

Greenpeace certainly ranks as the highest-profile environmental group to take on Apple, the hip kid on the computer block. The organisation is not Apple's only environmental adversary, though, and certainly not its only worry in a marketplace rife with green claims and green concerns. In fact, the company has moved its "Environment" page up to the top-level navigation of its website, right alongside its "Hot News" and "Job Opportunities" pages.

"It's important for Apple to reinforce its brand, which is seen as leading-edge in all aspects. That includes green issues," Charles Golvin, principal analyst with Forrester Research, told MacNewsWorld. Although specific concerns - energy efficiency, for example, or e-waste recycling - may get attention, it's the brand that matters to a company that has staked its reputation on, well, reputation.

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