Apple's products are no longer considered environmentally friendly after the tech giant asked the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) — the group that sets environmental standards for electronics — to remove all 39 of its products from its green registry.

According to the Wall Street Journal's corporate-technology blog, CIO Journal, this request took place toward the end of last month. EPEAT made the announcement last week.

The standards, which were set by manufacturers, advocacy groups and government agencies, state that recyclers need to be able to disassemble products considered green. This means the average person should be able to take apart the green products with common tools in order to separate toxic components, such as batteries. Apple's new designs do not comply with these standards.

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

Apple once touted its environmental friendliness, especially with its MacBook Pro, which was energy efficient, recyclable and held fewer toxins. Apple also has a section on its website devoted to its recycling program, focusing on smaller impact on the environment.

Apple and EPEAT were not available for comment.

UPDATE: Apple has re-entered its products to the EPEAT registry.

Images courtesy of iStockphoto, tbradford and t-lorien