Jan. 17, 2008 -- Apple is selling its new Macbook Air, unveiled this week at the Macworld convention in San Francisco, not only on its superthin design but also on its green features. The computermaker has been criticized in the past for its use of toxic materials in products such as the popular iPhone.

Apple has taken steps to green its new notebook from packaging to enclosure to circuitry. A new retail box design uses 56% less material than previous Macbook packaging, and the box itself is made largely from 100% post-consumer recycled material. The product's recyclable aluminum case houses a mercury-free LCD display (Apple's first) fronted by arsenic-free glass, and circuit boards and cables that minimize use of PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). In addition, the Macbook Air meets U.S. EPA Energy Star requirements and has earned a silver rating from the EPEAT green electronics standard.

The green redesign effort reflects an environmental policy announced last year, in which the company pledges to remove PVC, BFRs, and other toxic materials from Apple products by the end of 2008.