Green Electronics Council to Collaborate with UL Environment, Add Mobile-Device Standard to EPEAT® Rating System
Portland, OR (PRWEB) July 16, 2013 -- The Green Electronics Council today announced a collaboration with UL Environment, a business unit of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), to bring a mobile-device category to the EPEAT® registry of greener electronics. The organizations will work with manufacturers, purchasers, environmental groups and others to update the UL 110 standard so it aligns with the Green Electronics Council’s requirements for EPEAT.
Pending approval, the updated standard will form the basis of a new mobile-device EPEAT category scheduled to debut by the end of 2013. An EPEAT category based on UL 110 will mark the first time the Green Electronics Council has incorporated an environmental standard from an organization not involved in the EPEAT system’s 2006 launch.
“Mobile products evolve quickly and have a short lifecycle, presenting us with a clear opportunity to significantly reduce their environmental impact,” said Robert Frisbee, Green Electronics Council CEO. “Choosing to collaborate with UL Environment and update UL 110 reflects our pursuit of ‘the best of the best’ standards for the EPEAT system.”
The UL 110 standard debuted in 2011 to establish lifecycle sustainability criteria for mobile phones. The multi-attribute standard addresses environmental criteria such as materials, packaging and energy use, among others. The standard has already received support from manufacturers including HTC, Kyocera, LG, Samsung and ZTE, and by wireless carriers including Sprint.
“UL Environment is proud to be part of providing sustainability solutions to manufacturers and purchasers of mobile phones,” said Sara Greenstein, President of UL Environment. “This marks the first time a non-IEEE standard will be considered for inclusion on the EPEAT registry. We believe that the solid science behind the UL 110 standard, the trusted UL name, and the renown of the EPEAT system and resource network will be a powerful combination in advancing our core mission, which is to help manufacturers make and market healthier more sustainable products that purchasers can find and trust.”
“Sprint strongly supports the incorporation of the UL 110 standard into the EPEAT registry of greener electronics,” said Amy Hargroves, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Sprint. “This new partnership is an important step toward industry-wide adoption of the UL 110 standard and after working with UL Environment to develop the standard we are gratified to see it is well on its way to becoming the global standard we envisioned four years ago as well as the opportunities it will bring as the carrier with the most UL Environment certified devices in the marketplace.”
The EPEAT system currently includes ratings for PCs and Displays, Televisions and Imaging Equipment. Its ratings evaluate products on a lifecycle basis, addressing their design for recycling, elimination of toxic substances, use of recycled and recyclable materials, product longevity, energy efficiency, corporate performance and packaging, among other attributes. More than 50 manufacturers have registered products with EPEAT in more than 40 countries.
EPEAT is used as an environmental purchasing requirement by eight national governments, including the United States, as well as educational and healthcare systems and multinational corporations. Over their lifetime, the 533 million EPEAT-registered electronics purchased globally since 2006 will deliver significant environmental benefits compared to products not meeting EPEAT criteria.
About the Green Electronics Council: The Green Electronics Council is a non-profit organization founded to inspire and create paths toward ever more sustainable electronics. The Council achieves this mission by supporting the production of consensus-based environmental leadership standards; by operating EPEAT, the definitive global rating system for greener electronics; and by convening global thought leaders in environmental design, strategy and marketing to envision more sustainable electronics design and delivery methods. These activities work to promote a world in which electronics, throughout their lifecycle, are key contributors to global sustainability. For more information, please visit http://www.GreenElectronicsCouncil.org
Jonas Allen, Green Electronics Council, +1-503-279-9383, [email protected]
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