ABOUT EPEAT^©

EPEAT is a tool to help governmental and institutional purchasers select environmentally preferable laptop and desktop computers and monitors. At the same time it helps manufacturers promote environmentally preferable products.

The development of EPEAT was prompted by a growing demand by institutional purchasers for an easy-to-use evaluation tool that allows the selection of electronic products based on environmental performance. The electronics industry welcomes EPEAT as a tool to provide a consistent and harmonized set of environmental criteria for all purchasers and an opportunity to gain market recognition through providing environmental leadership. For more information about the development of EPEAT, see the Zero Waste Alliance EPEAT site.

EPEAT includes two major elements:

1. A set of environmental performance criteria for computers and monitors that have been adopted as an American National Standard by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers through a voluntary consensus process. The Standard is IEEE 1680. A copy may be obtained from the IEEE at http://shop.ieee.org/ieeestore/. Simply search for 1680.
   
2. The EPEAT program of the GEC that operates a web-based product declaration system for manufacturers, a verification system to ensure accuracy and credibility, and a listing of all registered products for purchasers.

EPEAT Performance Categories

EPEAT evaluates electronic products using 51 criteria in eight performance categories.

• Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials,
• materials selection,
• design for end of life,
• product longevity/life cycle extension,
• energy conservation,
• end of life management,
• corporate performance , and
• packaging

How EPEAT Works

EPEAT evaluates electronic products according to three tiers of environmental performance – Bronze, Silver and Gold. The IEEE 1680 Standard consists of 23 required criteria and 28 optional criteria. A product must meet all the required criteria in order to qualify for EPEAT bronze. Manufacturers may pick and choose among the optional criteria to boost their EPEAT “score” to achieve a higher level.

	Product meets all 23 required criteria
	Product meets all required criteria plus at least 14 optional criteria
	Product meets all required criteria plus at least 21 optional criteria

The three-tier system provides purchasers with the flexibility to select equipment that meets their minimum environmental performance requirements or to give preference to models with more environmental attributes. For manufacturers, EPEAT provides flexibility to choose which optional criteria they would like to meet to achieve higher levels of EPEAT qualification.

Most criteria refer to environmental characteristics of the product, and the manufacturer declares conformance to those criteria on the Green Electronics Council website for each model of their choice. Some criteria refer to general corporate programs, such as a Corporate Environmental Policy, and the manufacturer declares conformance to those criteria in an annual report.

Before registering their products in the EPEAT system, a manufacturer signs a legally binding Agreement with the Green Electronics Council that commits them to provide accurate information and provides for remedies should inaccuracies be discovered. Once they sign the Agreement and pay their annual fee, a manufacturer can use the EPEAT system to declare which of their products meet which criteria. The system determines the appropriate performance level and places the products on the EPEAT registry accordingly.

To ensure that the self-declaration system functions in a reliable and credible manner, periodically the Green Electronics Council selects some registered products to verify their conformance with the IEEE 1680 standard. For each criterion, manufacturers must, on request, provide specified data that demonstrates conformance.

EPEAT is unique in:

• The highly successful stakeholder consensus process that developed the standard
• The reliance on existing environmental standards where possible while adding new criteria where stakeholders agreed
• The combination of manufacturer self-declaration – which assures no delay in time to market – backed up by a strong verification program
• Balancing the assurance of an adequate supply of product for purchasers with a standard that will drive the environmental improvement of electronic equipment.

Who is Using EPEAT?

EPEAT is currently cited as the environmental criterion in over $21 billion of IT procurement solicitations from US federal, state, and private institutions, including the US Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, Energy, the Veterans Administration, NASA, Environmental Protection Agency, and the states of Massachusetts and California. EPEAT is increasingly being used by corporate purchasers and is seeing expanding use outside the US. Download a detailed list. Download a detailed list.

For more information...

• Download an EPEAT summary document, or
• please contact us.