What Is Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)?
If you're looking for a way to evaluate your electronic equipment's environmental impact, look no further than the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). EPEAT is a voluntary online procurement and environmental rating tool for electronic computing equipment designed to help consumers evaluate a product's attributes relating to the environment. The EPEAT program was developed by the Green Electronics Council (GEC) in 2006. It has been endorsed by over 100 companies so far and has helped over 1,000 organizations procure environmentally friendly electronic products. Products that meet EPEAT standards are assigned an EPEAT rating of Bronze, Silver or Gold based on their overall score across four categories: design for the environment; human-centered design; sustainable materials selection; and electronics recycling practices. A product can receive up to 20 points in each category, with bonus points available for extraordinary performance. EPEAT's website says it's "the gold standard for greener electronics," which is a pretty bold statement, considering how many standards there are. Yet as you can tell from its name, EPEAT stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. It was created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Green Electronics Council (GEC), and it provides registered environmental product data to help manufacturers promote environmentally sustainable products. EPEAT is based on 23 performance criteria, which fall into four categories: Product Design, Materials Selection, Manufacturing Processes, and Recyclability. The idea behind EPEAT is simple: if you want your electronics to be green, you must register them with EPEAT so everyone knows what they're getting into. It's clear on their website that registering your product does not guarantee that it will be certified as an "Eco-friendly" product. That's up to the consumer. If you want people to know that your product meets specific standards when it comes to being environmentally friendly, then registering with EPEAT is the way to go!
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