TÜV Rheinland, a full-service inspection, testing and certification company, today announced that it will provide a full suite of services for the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) rating system. Through an agreement with the Green Electronics Council, TÜV Rheinland can now offer product registration entity (PRE) services to manufacturers that wish to register their products in EPEAT. The company has designed a comprehensive and effective solution package for OEMs and brand owners to list their products in the EPEAT system within a shorter timeframe. TÜV Rheinland will work with manufacturers to identify whether their electronic products are eligible for a Bronze, Silver or Gold EPEAT rating based on their attainment of environmental performance criteria.
The Green Electronics Council designed EPEAT as an easy-to-use resource for which purchasers, manufacturers, resellers and others can evaluate, compare and select electronic products based on their environmental attributes. The system addresses the elimination of toxic substances, the use of recycled and recyclable materials, end-of-life design, product longevity, energy efficiency, corporate performance and packaging attributes. The criteria also requires manufacturer to take responsibility for the collection and recycling of all registered devices.
TÜV Rheinland offers manufacturers and brand owners a comprehensive and effective solution towards meeting the EPEAT environmental performance requirements and listing their products on the EPEAT registry. The assessment tool helps manufacturers obtain market recognition for the design and manufacturing of greener electronic products. EPEAT ratings have helped companies, governments and consumers around the world compare and purchase greener devices, resulting in significant environmental benefits.
“Our partnership with the EPEAT PRE family bolsters our commitment to serving the environmental needs of electronics manufacturers,” says Geoffrey Bock, Director of Environmental Services. “Manufacturers can now rely on TÜV Rheinland to guide them through the EPEAT registration process and in turn it will translate into new demand and revenue for our clients.”
TÜV Rheinland’s comprehensive portfolio of services to substantiate EPEAT conformance include hazardous substance testing, bio-based/biodegradable material testing and certification, product energy efficiency testing and certification, recycled plastics verification, product lifecycle assessment, ISO 14001/Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) certification, GRI sustainability reporting and the management of conflicting mineral use in products.
EPEAT registration is currently available in 43 countries. Manufacturers must register their products in EPEAT on a country-by-country basis to ensure all product and service criteria are supported and verified for local markets. Products meeting all of the required criteria are rated EPEAT Bronze, those meeting all of the required criteria plus at least 50% of the optional criteria are rated EPEAT Silver and those meeting all required criteria and at least 75% of the optional criteria are rated EPEAT Gold.
Over their lifetimes, EPEAT-registered electronics purchased globally since 2006 will deliver significant environmental benefits compared to products that do not meet the EPEAT criteria. To date, purchasers choosing EPEAT-registered electronics over products that fail to meet the system’s criteria have eliminated enough mercury to fill 4.6 million fever thermometers, avoided more than 528,000 metric tonnes of hazardous waste and decreased solid waste by the equivalent of 248,000 US households’ annual waste.
