IEEE Approves Standard to Identify Environmentally Friendly Computers

April 10, 2006

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The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE), along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a standard to help purchasers assess the environmental impact of computer systems before they are bought.

The standard, IEEE 1680 - Standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products, will help purchasers within businesses and other organizations reduce the environmental impact of the computers they buy, use and discard.

IEEE 1680 is the first U.S. standard to supply 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.

"This comprehensive standard responds to a strong call from purchasing agents who want consistent environmental criteria for comparing and selecting computers and monitors," said Holly Elwood, chair of the IEEE 1680 working group and project manager for the EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program. "The standard provides for a registry of products that comply with IEEE 1680, so purchasers can find computer products that meet their IT needs and have less of an effect on the environment.

"IEEE 1680 will foster green product design by setting challenging, yet realistic criteria for environmental performance," said Larry Chalfan, co-chair of the IEEE 1680 working group and executive director of the Zero Waste Alliance. "It creates mechanisms for identifying and verifying that computer products meet these criteria without delaying time to market. It also rewards leading product designs by giving manufacturers a low-cost way to promote product environmental performance."

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.

Source: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE).