Apple has came out last in a list of the greenest electronics makers compiled by the environmental activists Greenpeace yesterday, while Chinese manufacturer Lenovo took pole position in the report, called the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics.

Greenpeace ranked 14 companies according to their efforts to limit the use of hazardous chemicals in production and in ensuring that goods that become broken or obsolete are recycled.

Lenovo knocked Nokia off the top spot, which it has held since the guide began in August last year, followed by Sony Ericsson, Dell and Samsung Electronics. Lenovo is still largely unknown outside China, where it is the number one IT firm, but it became the world's third biggest manufacturer of PCs when it bought IBM's consumer electronics business two years ago.

Greenpeace said Lenovo scored top marks on its e-waste policies and practice; the company offers take-back and recycling in all the countries where its products are sold. It also reports the amount of e-waste it recycles as a percentage of its sales, although it has yet to put on the market products that are free of the worst chemicals.

"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 Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace international toxics campaigner.

Apple continues to languish in last place on the guide, far behind all other major manufacturers. An Apple spokeswoman said the company rejected Greenpeace's ranking system.