Voluntary Standard Aims to Help Purchasers Buy Greener Computers
May 24, 2006
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along with the
Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEESA) released a voluntary environmental performance standard to help large computer buyers make environmentally sound purchases.
The new standard, IEEE 1680 - Standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products - provides environmental guidelines for institutional purchasing decisions involving desktop and laptop computers and monitors. It offers criteria in eight categories:
- Materials selection.
- Environmentally sensitive materials.
- Design for end of life.
- End-of-life management.
- Energy conservation.
- Product longevity and life-cycle extension.
- Packaging.
- Corporate performance.
The standard aims to encourage manufacturers to design products to be used longer, be more energy efficient, be easier to upgrade and recycle and contain less hazardous materials.
"Determining which computers are environmentally preferable is a challenge for companies, government agencies and other organizations," said Jeff Scott, the EPA's waste division director for the Pacific Southwest region. "This standard will change the marketplace and measurably reduce the environmental impacts of computers. It is an excellent example of government, industry, environmentalists and academics collaborating to address an issue and improve the environment."
The standard was developed by a working group composed of representatives from the electronics industry, environmental advocacy groups, state and local purchasing officials, electronics recyclers and academics. It was approved through the consensus-based IEEE standards development process, recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
IEEE 1680 and its product registration and verification system are part of the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), which is managed by the Green Electronics Council under a grant from the EPA. The council will maintain a registry of computer products that meet IEEE 1680 criteria at www.epeat.net starting in June 2006. The council will verify that the information provided by manufacturers is accurate and up to date.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).