The latest rankings of Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics were revealed this week, positioning Lenovo as the leader of the pack, followed by Nokia (the former leader), Sony Ericsson, Dell and then Samsung.
The guide is updated every three months and lists electronic products manufacturers in terms of how environmentally friendly they are.
"Given the growing mountains of e-waste in China - both imported and domestically generated - it is heartening to see a Chinese company taking the lead, and assuming responsibility at least for its own branded waste," said the Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner, Iza Kruszewska.
"The challenge for the industry now is to see who will actually place greener products on the market."
The scorecard ranks companies on their 'Chemicals policy and practice' and their 'Policy and practice on Producer Responsibility' (for taking back their discarded products and recycling).
The organisation has recorded an improvement in companies' scores since the December 2006 edition of the Guide, with nine out of 14 companies now scoring more than five points out of 10. It attributes this to "competitive pressure, ongoing dialogue with Greenpeace campaigners and consumer expectations."
Sony and LG Electronics were penalised, however. They received "penalty points for operating double standards on their e-waste takeback policies across the world," declared Greenpeace.
As for Apple, Greenpeace says it has made no progress since the launch of the guide in August 2006. It remains in last place, lagging behind all other major manufacturers.
"With this edition of the Guide, we're seeing some companies move beyond good statements of principle and towards real action, with the roll-out of voluntary take back programs and detailed information being provided to customers," added Kruszewska.
