Steve Jobs’ absence hasn’t prevented exciting things from happening at this week’s MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. This morning, Apple unveiled the new 17 inch MacBook Pro, complete with a new energy efficient lithium-polymer battery.

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AppleInsider claims that the next version of Apple’s MacBook is ready to start production stateside, and that the iPhone maker has upgraded the laptop eco wise. The notebook’s plastic parts have been replaced by more eco-friendly aluminum. This news comes on the heels of announcing a greener iPod Nano last month -  which also comes in green! This is a nice step forward considering the bad marks Apple has gotten in the past by Greenpeace.

Image source: Brianfit from Flickr

If you’ve been holding back from buying an iPod nano for environmental reasons, it might be time to rethink your decision.

Last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the fourth generation iPod nano, which he claims is the most environmentally-friendly iPod ever built. The new nano is made with arsenic-free glass, and unlike previous versions, does not contain Brominated Flame Retardant (BFR) or polyvinylchloride (PVR). The Apple website also claims that the device has a recyclable aluminum enclosure.

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Yesterday, when the news started flying around about Steve Jobs introducing iTunes 8 and the new 4th generation Nano at Apple’s September event, I kind of glossed over it. My husband mentioned a few things about it last night, though, and I got curious. Looks like Apple is further making good on the promises they made in 2007 to green their products and their processes.

What’s greener about this new Nano than my ancient one?

• It has arsenic-free glass
• It doesn’t contain any PVC, mercury or brominated flame retardants
• A metal casing that is very recyclable

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Apple recently announced plans for A Greener Apple and highlighted several improvements in sustainability that Apple has made over the past few years that are now being brought to light. The announcement responds to the concerns Greenpeace brought up - phasing out toxic chemicals, improving the take-back and recycling programs, and improving energy efficiency and overall environmental footprint. Steve Jobs outlines what Apple has done, is currently working on, and will do in the future to improve on the company’s environmental impact:

Apple has been criticized by some environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products, and for not aggressively or properly recycling its old products. Upon investigating Apple’s current practices and progress towards these goals, I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas. Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well.

It is generally not Apple’s policy to trumpet our plans for the future; we tend to talk about the things we have just accomplished. Unfortunately this policy has left our customers, shareholders, employees and the industry in the dark about Apple’s desires and plans to become greener. Our stakeholders deserve and expect more from us, and they’re right to do so. They want us to be a leader in this area, just as we are in the other areas of our business. So today we’re changing our policy.

Jobs goes on to explain how Apple has and will continue to phase out toxic chemicals in their products, such as lead (which was nearly eliminated in 2006 when Apple stopped producing CRT displays), Cadmium, Arsenic (which should be phased out in displays by the end of 2008), Mercury, PVC, and Brominated Flame Retardants (PVC & BFRs will also be eliminated by the end of 2008). Jobs also discusses Apple’s recycling program, which he considers far superior to some of his competitors’ programs.

Greenpeace responded to this news by increasing the environmental rating they gave Apple from 2.7 to 5 out of 10. They applauded the company for making strides in their environmental policy, but said that there is still room for improvement. For instance, Apple’s take-back recycling program is currently only available in the US. Greenpeace suggests they implement a worldwide comprehensive recycling program to ensure that none of their products end up as e-waste. Greenpeace urges Apple to go all the way towards making their products “green to the core.”

This news has created quite a buzz from Apple enthusiasts and bloggers. On GigaOM, Katie Fehrenbacher discusses how Apple’s announcement illustrates how green concepts are becoming a necessary part of a company’s branding, especially in tech industries. Working towards greener solutions has become a business necessity in order to keep consumers happy. Green is definitely the new black.

As I write this on my old Apple Powerbook, I am quite excited to learn that the company whose products I use every day is improving its environmental standards. Of course, this means I may have to put off upgrading to a new machine until their products are even greener and the toxic chemicals are all phased out. Hopefully that MacBookPro I’m eyeing will soon be free of toxic chemicals, have an LED display, and be green enough for this environmentalist to plunk down a serious chunk of change. Yo Steve, do you need anyone to test the new green Apple products you’re creating? (hint, hint…)

Links: Apple’s ‘A Greener Apple’ Announcement, Greenpeace’s Response, Macworld news article, Discussion on GigaOM.