Apple has asked EPEAT (http://www.epeat.net), a government-backed, environmental rating that helps identify greener computers and other electronic equipment, to remove 39 desktops, laptops and monitors from the body’s list of environmentally friendly devices including legacy models that already hold the certification, reports “CIO Journal” (http://macte.ch/Sdych).

EPEAT CEO Robert Frisbee said an Apple representative requested that the company’s already-cleared products be taken down from the registry which carries a list of electronic devices certified to be recyclable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

In order to meet the standards, recyclers need to be able to easily disassemble products, with common tools, to separate toxic components, like batteries, notes “CIO Journal.” The standards were created jointly by manufacturers, including Apple, advocacy groups and government agencies. Frisbee says an Apple staff member told him at the end of June that the company no longer wanted Apple computers to be listed as EPEAT certified.

According to “engadget” (http://macte.ch/ehMCZ), Apple’s decision means that many federal agencies might not be able to buy its products, since 95% of its electronics purchasing must conform to the EPEAT standard. What’s more, many educational institutions that require the certification would also need to opt out of Mac purchases, as well as large corporations like HSBC and Ford, the article adds.