As we discussed last week, Toshiba decided to rescind their ill-conceived “No-Print Day,” but, as our friend Mr. Tree (if that is his name) points out, perhaps the whole thing was a classic case of misdirection, to draw our attention away from the company’s not-very-good position vis-à-vis paper, at least according to Greenpeace (link opens PDF):

Toshiba needs to develop a paper procurement policy which excludes suppliers that are involved in deforestation and illegal logging and sets specific targets to reduce paper use and increase use of recycled and FSC fibres.

The report, Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics, ranks Toshiba 13th out of 15 electronic companies in “green” practices. It bears mentioning that they are neck-and-neck-and-neck-and-neck with Sharp, Acer, and LGE, and still a bit ahead of RIM. They also score pretty badly in the “Energy” category:

although it has reduced its emissions of CO2 in line with its previous targets and aims to keep CO2 emissions below 60 percent of the FY1990 level, the presentation of these objectives is confusing and difficult to compare with the need to reduce its GHG emissions by at least 30 percent by 2015 for its own operations. Toshiba gives some examples of energy efficiency measures and use of renewable energy but does not have a clean energy strategy; it aims to use renewable energy for a wider range of its operations and needs to set a target to dramatically increase renewable electricity use by 2020. It reports its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for its operations, but not for business travel and does not provide external verification for this data.

I mention this not because we are bitter and vengeful (although we are; hell hath no fury like a printing industry scorned, and, heck, who doesn’t love schadenfreude?) but before someone starts criticizing the print and paper industries for being environmentally rapacious, he may want to make sure his own house is in order; Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion. Now, let us never speak of “No-Print Day” again.