Admitting that turning its back on the EPEAT rating system was a mistake, Apple on Friday said that all its eligible products are back on EPEAT.

“We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT”, Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of hardware engineering for the computer maker.

Apple's decision to withdraw from a national green certification program has prompted San Francisco's city government last week to suspend purchase of its desktops and laptops.

Apple removed all 39 of its desktop and laptop computers from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool registry, a green certification program for computers.

Bob said it’s important to know that its commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever. “Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry. In fact, our engineering teams have worked incredibly hard over the years to make our products even more environmentally friendly, and much of our progress has come in areas not yet measured by EPEAT”, he said.

He said Apple led the industry in removing harmful toxins such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). We are the only company to comprehensively report greenhouse gas emissions for every product we make, taking into account the entire product lifecycle. “And we’ve removed plastics wherever possible, in favor of materials that are more highly recyclable, more durable, more efficient and longer lasting.”

“Perhaps most importantly, we make the most energy-efficient computers in the world and our entire product line exceeds the stringent ENERGY STAR 5.2 government standard. No one else in our industry can make that claim.”

“I am very happy to announce that all of Apple’s previously registered products, and a number of new products, are back on the EPEAT registry.  Apple has joined us in addressing these events in a message on their website”, said Robert Frisbee, EPEAT CEO.

“Our relationship with Apple is based on our natural alignment – as Apple drives innovation in product design, EPEAT drives innovation in standards design. EPEAT has pioneered voluntary standards, after-market verification, optional criteria and tiered product certification as ways to keep pace with a fast-paced industry”, Robert said.