EPEAT is a tool to help governmental and institutional purchasers select environmentally preferable laptop and desktop
computers and monitors. At the same time it helps manufacturers promote environmentally preferable products.
The development of EPEAT was prompted by a growing demand by institutional purchasers for an easy-to-use evaluation tool that allows the selection of electronic products based on environmental
performance. The electronics industry welcomes EPEAT as a tool to provide a consistent and harmonized set of environmental criteria for
all purchasers and an opportunity to gain market recognition through providing environmental leadership. For more information about the
development of EPEAT, see the Zero Waste Alliance EPEAT site.
EPEAT includes two major elements:
- A set of environmental performance criteria for computers and
monitors that have been adopted as an American National Standard by
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers through a
voluntary consensus process. The Standard is IEEE 1680. A copy may be obtained from the IEEE at http://shop.ieee.org/ieeestore/.
Simply search for 1680.
- The EPEAT program of the GEC that operates a web-based product
declaration system for manufacturers, a verification system to ensure
accuracy and credibility, and a listing of all registered products for
purchasers.
EPEAT Performance Categories
EPEAT evaluates electronic products using 51 criteria in eight
performance categories.
• Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials,
• materials selection,
• design for end of life,
• product
longevity/life cycle extension,
• energy conservation,
• end
of life management,
• corporate performance , and
•
packaging
How EPEAT Works
EPEAT evaluates electronic products according to
three tiers of environmental performance – Bronze, Silver and Gold. The
IEEE 1680 Standard consists of 23 required criteria and 28 optional
criteria. A product must meet all the required criteria in order to
qualify for EPEAT bronze. Manufacturers may pick and choose among the
optional criteria to boost their EPEAT “score” to achieve a higher
level.
|
|---|
 |
Product meets all 23 required criteria |
 |
Product meets all required criteria plus at least 14 optional criteria |
 |
Product meets all required criteria plus at least 21 optional criteria |
The three-tier system provides purchasers with the flexibility to
select equipment that meets their minimum environmental performance
requirements or to give preference to models with more environmental
attributes. For manufacturers, EPEAT provides flexibility to choose
which optional criteria they would like to meet to achieve higher levels
of EPEAT qualification.
Most criteria refer to environmental characteristics of the product,
and the manufacturer declares conformance to those criteria on the Green
Electronics Council website for each model of their choice. Some
criteria refer to general corporate programs, such as a Corporate
Environmental Policy, and the manufacturer declares conformance to those
criteria in an annual report.
Before registering their products in the EPEAT system, a manufacturer
signs a legally binding Agreement with the Green Electronics Council
that commits them to provide accurate information and provides for
remedies should inaccuracies be discovered. Once they sign the Agreement
and pay their annual fee, a manufacturer can use the EPEAT system to
declare which of their products meet which criteria. The system
determines the appropriate performance level and places the products on
the EPEAT registry accordingly.
To ensure that the self-declaration system functions in a reliable
and credible manner, periodically the Green Electronics Council selects
some registered products to verify their conformance with the IEEE 1680
standard. For each criterion, manufacturers must, on request, provide
specified data that demonstrates conformance.
Who is Using EPEAT?
EPEAT is currently cited as the environmental criterion in over $21
billion of IT procurement solicitations from US federal, state, and
private institutions, including the US Departments of Defense, Homeland
Security, Interior, Energy, the Veterans Administration, NASA,
Environmental Protection Agency, and the states of Massachusetts and
California. EPEAT is increasingly being used by corporate purchasers and
is seeing expanding use outside the US. Download a detailed list. Download
a detailed list.
For more information...
