SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 11, 2007 (ENS) - EPEAT is not yet a familiar name, but it could soon become familiar to companies that want to save money and lower greenhouse gas emissions from electronic equipment.

EPEAT stands for the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, and it was launched in 2006 to help purchasers rank computer desktops, laptops and monitors based on their environmental attributes.

The EPEAT criteria were developed during a three year long consensus-based process that brought more than 100 representatives from environmental groups, government officials, large volume computer purchasers, computer experts, electronics recyclers, and manufacturers to the table. The process was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

All EPEAT certified products must meet strict mandatory criteria for environmental performance such as reduction or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, energy conservation, packaging and end-of-life management.

They are then identified as EPEAT-Bronze, EPEAT-Silver, or EPEAT-Gold depending on the number of optional environmental criteria incorporated into the product.

The Toshiba Portege R500-S5002X Notebook is an EPEAT registered product. (Photo credit unknown)

Now that the system is structured, it is operated by the nonprofit Green Electronics Council, which just held the first annual awards ceremony recognizing EPEAT users as Green Electronics Champions.

At San Jose City Hall on October 2, EPA Regional Administrator Wayne Nastri and Green Electronics Council Director Jeff Omelchuck presented the first awards to one state agency, two cities, and two giant health care providers.

An award went to the California Integrated Waste Management Board and Department of General Services, which used EPEAT to help it comply with California’s 2003 e-waste legislation.

The City of San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley, and the first city in the country to specify EPEAT-registered computers, was declared a Green Electronics Champion.

The City of Phoenix was recognized as a Green Electronics Champion. Staff in the Phoenix Environmental Services Department wanted to buy greener computers when EPEAT launched in 2006, but the city already had a computer contract. So the city trained procurement staff to purchase EPEAT-registered equipment on the current contract where possible, and made sure all future purchases were EPEAT-qualified.

Kaiser Permanente, the largest health maintenance organization in the country, used its market strength to demand green products. In 2006 Kaiser focused on IT technology, and changed its contract for computers and software to require EPEAT-registered equipment. Kaiser was the first in the health care community to make this commitment, earning it the title of Green Electronics Champion.

McKesson Corporation is a Fortune 500 health services and consulting company based in San Francisco that was named a Green Electronics Champion. After learning about EPEAT in 2007, the company quickly adopted EPEAT registration as a criterion in selecting its PC vendor. McKesson currently integrates EPEAT-Gold level performance as a benchmark for future purchasing decisions.

Within the past year, the five organizations collectively bought more than 91,930 desktop computers and notebooks and 72,394 monitors - all registered with EPEAT.

Their combined purchases reduced 4,800 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions - equivalent to taking 3,800 cars off the road. They saved 61,000 megawatts of electricity - enough to power 5,400 homes.

They reduced the use of more than 12,000 pounds of toxic chemicals, and saved 243 million pounds of primary materials - the equivalent of 856,000 refrigerators - and saved a combined total of $5.3 million.

"By requiring EPEAT-registered products, the organizations recognized today are giving manufacturers a market-based reason to build greener products," said Omelchuck, of the Green Electronics Council, encouraging other purchasers to follow their lead.

"We are pleased today to recognize these organizations who are leading the way in purchasing green computer products," said Nastri of the EPA. "These Green Electronic Champions are putting their environmental values into action - targeting their dollars to help protect the environment, and in turn, greening their bottom line."

In January, President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13423 requiring federal agencies to purchase at least 95 percent EPEAT-registered products in all relevant electronic product categories.

A searchable database listing all EPEAT-registered computer products is online at: http://www.epeat.net

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.