The Green Electronics Council revealed Monday that it will be going global with its registry that grades electronics including computer desktops, laptops and monitors.
Countries such as Canada, China, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, Mexico, and New Zealand, as well places in Europe and Australia, will now be able to avail themselves of the green rating system, EPEAT, the abbreviation for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. The registry will without doubt be welcomed as a blessing, as EPEAT executive director, Jeff Omelchuck, says the expansion was ‘driven by a global demand for a system to evaluate these products.’
Having been launched in the United States in 2006, EPEAT contains new registries that have now been added, customized for each country. Available for free worldwide usage simply by logging on to epeat.net, individuals can check for products that are available in their country and see their environmental ratings, particular to their area.
The rating method employs a three-tier system: gold, silver and bronze, and products are judged on their eco-friendliness according to 23 mandatory qualities, as well as 28 optional attributes. These include criteria such as energy savings, production methods, toxic components, packaging, life spans, and the extent to which the product can be recycled.
The way to rate electronics and to provide a marking system was hashed out by manufacturers, green advocacy groups, health officials, consumers, recyclers and other interested parties, all collaborating in an attempt to define what ‘green electronics’ really encompass. EPEAT is now funded by fees that manufacturers pay to register products, realizing that a gold standard means commercial success.
“It allows you to express your values with your purchase dollars”, Mr. Omelchuck says. “It has become quite a comprehensive resource with pretty impressive commercial demand for green IT.” Already, companies such as Hewlett Packard are aspiring to a gold rating, and customers, including federal agencies and municipalities, mandate a gold rank for the electronics they use.
And that’s the beauty of a system that is becoming an international leader in green standards. It allows purchasers to put their money where their mouth is. If they advocate ‘green’, they can use their purchasing power to prove it – and support companies that are committed to greener technologies.
