Epeat to Update Display & Computer Categories

The Epeat label from the Green Electronics Council (GEC) is an important one for those that sell into the US government and public organisation market in the USA. The organisation has now updated its requirements for monitors and PCs that will come into effect from November 2018.

The organisation said that to ensure consistent Epeat-registered product availability, there will be a six month overlap period where products will be listed that meet both the old and the new criteria. Products meeting the updated category criteria will be available this November. In May of 2019, the organisation will archive all products that meet the old criteria, and only those products that meet the new criteria will be actively registered with Epeat.

The GEC said that it is very likely that the majority of the products registered to the new criteria may only achieve an Epeat Bronze rating. This is because the new criteria are much more rigorous, and it is likely that a Bronze-registered product under the new criteria will exceed the sustainability features of a Gold-registered product under the old criteria.

The GEC will run a webinar about the new requirements on June 27th.

As well as looking at manufacturers’ supply chains, including the following topics

• Full substance inventory in product
• F-GHG in semiconductor and display manufacturing
• Green product transport • Renewable energy use
• Energy management system/energy performance improvement
• Socially responsible supplier manufacturing – labour practices and worker health and safety
• Conflict minerals disclosure and due diligence
• Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
• Corporate environmental reporting

The issues addressed in the new version are detailed in the table.

Impacts Addressed	EPEAT Computer and Display Criteria
Toxics Reduction	Bromine and chlorine restrictions in plastics Safer chemical assessment and use Full substance inventory in product Restriction or elimination of substances of concern (EU RoHS, EU REACH, beryllium
Climate Change/GHG Emission Reduction	Energy performance of product and power supplies F-GHG in semiconductor and display manufacturing Green product transport Renewable energy use by manufacturer and their suppliers Energy management system/energy performance improvement for manufacturers and their suppliers
Resource Consumption	Postconsumer recycled content in product Recycled content and sustainably forested materials in packaging Increasing product life o Long life rechargeable battery Battery replacement and information Service support and public information Enable upgrades and repair
End-of-Life Impacts	Product take-back Use of certified recyclers Design to facilitate recycling, repair and reuse Easy removal of lithium ion batteries
Social Responsibility	Socially responsible supplier manufacturing – labor practices and worker health and safety Conflict minerals disclosure and due diligence
Environmental Management and Reporting	EMS for manufacturers and their suppliers Corporate environmental reporting for manufacturing and their suppliers