Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan 2010 - 2015
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2010
Appendix 1. EPEAT and equivalent eco-labels
While the Australian Government has selected EPEAT Silver as the minimum environmental standard to be applied to ICT equipment (outlined in Section 2) it recognises the presence of other established regional and international eco-labels that meet the ISO standards which are relevant to the ICT industry and can be considered at least equivalent to EPEAT. These include independently certified (IC) eco-labelling programs that are members of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN).55
GEN members are voluntary, third party certified, life cycle based eco-labelling programs which comply with the international standard ISO 14024. Some examples of GEN members include Blue Angel (Germany), TCO Certified (Sweden), the EU Ecolabel (Europe), Eco Mark Program (Japan), Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA), and Environmental Choice (New Zealand).
ICT related eco-labels will be periodically reviewed over the duration of the ICT Sustainability Plan to determine 'equivalences' to EPEAT.
EPEAT criteria
The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a self declared eco labelling program that aligns to the self declared ISO 14021 eco-label standard. The environmental criteria and operational details of the EPEAT program are contained in a public standard, IEEE 1680, developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), while the program is managed by the Green Electronics Council (GEC), an American not-for-profit organisation. The GEC carries out product declaration verifications to ensure that the products meet the stated criteria.
There are three levels of environmental performance in the EPEAT eco-labelling program:
- EPEAT Bronze - product meets all 23 mandatory criteria;
- EPEAT Silver - product meets all required criteria plus 50 per cent of the 28 optional criteria; and
- EPEAT Gold - product meets all required criteria plus 75 per cent of the optional criteria.
Currently the IEEE 1680 standard covers notebooks, desktops, thin clients, integrated systems and monitors - refer to EPEAT criteria below. Standards are also being developed for imaging equipment and televisions (due 2011) and servers and mobile devices (due 2012/2013). Agencies will be advised as new standards/criteria for ICT equipment become available.
| Criteria Category | Required criteria | Optional criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials | Compliance with provisions of European RoHS Directive upon its effective date Reporting on amount of mercury used in light sources (mg) Elimination of intentionally added SCCP flame retardants and plasticisers in certain applications |
Low threshold for amount of mercury used in light sources Elimination of intentionally added mercury used in light sources Elimination of intentionally added lead in certain applications Elimination of intentionally added hexavalent chromium Large plastic parts free of certain flame retardants classified under European Council Directive 67/548/EEC Batteries free of lead, cadmium and mercury Large plastic parts free of PVC Elimination of intentionally added cadmium |
| 2. Materials selection | Declaration of post-consumer recycled plastic content (%) Declaration of renewable/bio-based plastic materials content (%) Declaration of product weight (kgs) |
Minimum content of post-consumer recycled plastic Higher content of post-consumer recycled plastic Minimum content of renewable/bio-based plastic material |
| 3. Design for end of life | Identification of materials with special handling need Elimination of paints or coatings that are not compatible with recycling or reuse Easy disassembly of external enclosure Marking of plastic components Identification and removal of components containing hazardous materials Minimum 65 per cent reusable/recyclable |
Reduced number of plastic material types Moulded/glued in metal eliminated or removable Minimum 90 per cent reusable/recyclable Manual separation of plastics Marking of plastics |
| 4. Product longevity/life cycle extension | Availability of additional three year warranty or service agreement Upgradeable with common tools |
Modular design Availability of replacement parts |
| 5. Energy conservation | ENERGY STAR® | Early adoption of new ENERGY STAR® specification Renewable energy accessory available Renewable energy accessory standard |
| 6. End of life management | Provision of product take-back service Provision of rechargeable battery take-back service |
Auditing of recycling vendors |
| 7. Corporate performance | Demonstration of corporate environmental policy consistent with ISO 14001 Self-certified environmental management system for design and manufacturing organisations Corporate report consistent with Performance Track or GRI |
Third-party certified environmental management system for design and manufacturing organisations Corporate report based on GRI |
| 8. Packaging | Reduction/elimination of intentionally added toxics in packaging Separable packing materials Declaration of recycled content in packaging |
Packaging 90% recyclable and plastics labelled Minimum post-consumer content guidelines Provision of take-back program for packaging Documentation of reusable packaging |
Source: EPEAT, www.epeat.net/Criteria.aspx