"Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well," Jobs wrote.

Articulated in the document are Apple's efforts to remove toxic chemicals -- such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury -- from its new products, and to recycle old products more aggressively.

Jobs also compared Apple's recycling efforts to those of HP and Dell, and noted that by 2010, Apple might be recycling significantly more than either company.

Different Approach

The message about a more environmentally friendly approach is unusual for Apple, said Chris Mines, an analyst at Forrester Research. The green move is not unique among technology companies, but it does deviate from Apple's tendency to keep project details under wraps until those projects are well underway.

"This is a window into Apple's future plans, which almost never happens," said Mines. "They're talking about benchmarks going forward, and future directions, and you just don't hear Apple talking like that."

The other compelling aspect to Jobs' comments, said Mines, is that he compares Apple to other vendors. "You hear vendors talk about their environmental standards, but only compared to their own past efforts," he said. "You don't hear comparisons that say, basically, 'we're doing better than the other guy.'"

This kind of environmental competition is likely to heat up, as technology purveyors scramble to gain the highest moral ground, Mines noted. "This is a gauntlet being thrown down by Mr. Jobs," he said. "Now we're really going to see the 'greener than thou' pronouncements begin."

Lifecycle Management

As companies such as Apple attempt to get more green, what is likely is that they will have to prove that their environmental efforts go far beyond taking toxic substances out of the manufacturing processes, said IDC analyst Daniel Fleischer.

With more attention being paid to I.T. environmental initiatives -- and more boasts coming from CEOs of big tech companies -- vendors will have to prove that they are environmentally conscious throughout their product lifecycles.

"Being green isn't just about the types of substances used in production, or the chemicals inside your devices, or even about recycling tech to keep it out of landfills," said Fleischer. "To present yourself as green, you need an embedded methodology that sets internal targets and extends from design to end-of-life."

So far, HP is at the front of the pack in terms of being green in multiple parts of product lifecycles, he added. For Apple to catch up, the company will have to look at everything from design and distribution to recycling issues.

"It's a challenge, to meet goals like these," he noted. "Everyone is talking about going green, but publicizing targets is one thing, and meeting them is another."