EPEAT^© for Purchasers

Benefits to Purchasers

• Easy way to specify, evaluate and purchase computer products that meet challenging yet realistic environmental criteria
• An efficient and credible means of verifying that equipment meets criteria
• Flexibility of selecting products that meet minimum performance criteria or giving preference to products that qualify for higher performance levels
• Same set of criteria used by purchasers nationwide to ensure competitive pricing and product availability

Using EPEAT

• EPEAT is designed so that purchasers can simply specify whether they want EPEAT Bronze, EPEAT Silver, or EPEAT Gold registered products.
• Do not add criteria or adjust criteria values and call them EPEAT.
• Draft language that may be incorporated into RFPs and contracts is available at http://www.epeat.net/purchasers.

Finding Products

The EPEAT Product Registry contains listings of products and their characteristics. It is designed with flexibility so that the user may search by EPEAT level, by product and by manufacturer. The registry is located at http://www.epeat.net

About Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Environmentally preferable products are those that have a reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. The product or service comparison may include elements of the entire product life cycle including raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, and end-of-life management.

US EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing site: http://www.epa.gov/epp/index.htm