LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Apple, in ending its support for a leading, government-backed green standard have left many people seeing red.

"They said their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements," Robert Frisbee, the CEO of EPEAT says. "They were important supporters and we are disappointed that they don't want their products measured by this standard anymore."

The first municipality to react was San Francisco, which announced that that the company's products would no longer qualify for purchase with city funds. However, the move doesn't necessarily mean that gadgets and computers from the consumer electronics giant will become any less green.

The EPEAT standard has many different facets. The standard governs the manufacture and assembly process, the energy consumption as well as the afterlife of electronic products. Where these products go after they serve their useful purpose has become an issue for Apple products. Apple is notorious for their integrated, irreplaceable batteries and non-upgradable components.

Recyclers must be able to easily disassemble products, with common tools, to separate toxic components, like batteries, the EPEAT Web site explains. In contrast, Apple's future design plans seem to continue along the line of tighter integration and even more difficult to disassemble products.

In a sterling example, Apple's latest laptop, the MacBook Pro, is not eligible for EPEAT certification because of its Retina display, which requires its battery be glued directly to the case. This makes it difficult to recycle, according to EPEAT CEO Robert Frisbee.

EPEAT is adjusting its standards to meet the changing realities of the tech industry, including adding new display standards for Smartphone's and tablets, EPEAT Director of Outreach and Communications Sarah O'Brien told USA Today that "We do plan to develop a mobile device standard . That's the direction of the industry."

A statement released this week by Apple indicates their intention to make products as green as possible -- under a different energy efficiency label.

"Apple takes a comprehensive approach to measuring our environmental impact and all of our products meet the strictest energy efficiency standards backed by the US government, Energy Star 5.2," the statement reads. "We also lead the industry by reporting each product's greenhouse gas emissions on our Web site, and Apple products are superior in other important environmental areas not measured by EPEAT, such as removal of toxic materials."

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