1/23/2012

Most people are familiar with Energy Star as a certification for energy efficient products.  EPEAT is a rating system for electronic products that are environmentally preferable.  EPEAT was developed in 2001- 2006 through the efforts of the Western Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (WEPSI) and an EPA grant to the Zero Waste Alliance (ZWA) to develop an electronics environmental assessment tool.

EPEAT stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, and it covers electronic products such as computers, monitors, laptops and thin clients. EPEAT registered products meet the IEEE family of Environmental Assessment Standards.  Products that meet required criteria receive EPEAT Bronze, required plus 50% optional criteria meet EPEAT Silver and required plus 75% of optional criteria meet EPEAT Gold.  The criteria include reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials (eg. mercury, hexavalent chromium, etc.), material selection, design for end of life, produce longevity, energy conservation, corporate performance and packaging.  Most of the criteria are specific to the product, but there are also reporting criteria for the company making the product.

To search for compliant electronics, try this EPEAT link for the US.

Via Executive Order in 2007, the US government required all federal agencies to satisfy 95% of their purchase requirements with EPEAT-registered products.  The registry lists thousands of products, with 40 countries participating.  This year the EPEAT registry expects to add printers, copiers and fax mashines to the registry.  Check this link for a list of current products on the EPEAT registry.

For more information about the development of the EPEAT system, check this link for the Zero Waste Alliance website.