IEEE BEGINS FIRST U.S. STANDARD
TO HELP PURCHASING AGENTS ASSESS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
OF COMPUTERS
Contact:
Holly Elwood, Chair of the IEEE P1680 Working Group
+1 202-564-8854, elwood.holly@epa.gov
or
Karen McCabe, IEEE Senior Marketing Manager
+1 732-562-3824, k.mccabe@ieee.org
PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA, 26 August
2005 Those who purchase computers for companies,
government agencies and other organizations face the
challenge of how to assess the environmental impact
of these systems before they buy. A standard being
developed at the IEEE will help resolve this issue.
IEEE P1680(TM), “Standard for Environmental Assessment
of Personal Computer Products”, will be the first
comprehensive U.S. standard to support the incorporation
of environmental considerations into institutional
purchasing decisions for desktop and laptop computers
and monitors when it is completed in early 2006. It
will encompass criteria in eight categories-- environmentally
sensitive materials selection, design for end of life,
product longevity and life-cycle extension, energy
conservation, end-of-life management, corporate performance,
and packaging.
The standard will be based on a draft document developed
over the past 30 months by a 35-member body drawn
from the industrial, governmental, environmental,
academic and other communities. Balloting on the standard
will begin in September. Anyone interested in commenting
on the draft standard should contact Larry Chalfan
at lchalfan@zerowaste.org
by September 15, 2005.
“The standard responds to a strong call from
purchasing agents who want consistent environmental
criteria for comparing and selecting computers and
monitors,” says Holly Elwood, chair of the IEEE
P1680 Working Group and Project Manager for the U.S.
EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program.
“We expect the standard to foster green product
design and reduce the overall environmental and health
impacts of these products. In essence, IEEE P1680
sets voluntary criteria for environmental performance
and creates a system for identifying and verifying
that computer products meet these criteria.”
The standard creates a three-tier program that grants
market recognition to products having specific environmental
life-cycle attributes. Products earn a ‘bronze’
designation by meeting the mandatory criteria. Those
at the ‘silver’ level meet the mandatory
criteria and at least 50 percent of the optional criteria,
while those at the ‘gold’ level meet all
mandatory criteria and at least 75 percent of the
optional criteria.
The draft standard requires that manufacturers who
participate in the program sign a memorandum of understanding
for specific products, evaluate those products and
self-declare which criteria they meet. A certifying
organization verifies claims through random aftermarket
checks, periodic reviews and other steps.
“The program will help institutional purchasers
specify and obtain computer products that meet challenging
yet realistic environmental criteria,” says Larry
Chalfan, co-chair of the IEEE P1680 Working Group
and Executive Director of the Zero Waste Alliance.
“By combining self-declaration with spot verification,
it will provide an efficient way to validate which
computer products satisfy set environmental criteria.
“It will also provide manufacturers with a low-cost
and flexible way to promote product environmental
performance without delaying time to market, and give
vendors a vehicle for gaining market share for environmentally
preferable products.”
IEEE P1680 is configured as a leadership standard.
In addition to targeting leading edge products, the
intent is to strengthen the criteria over time as
the industry rises to the level in the current requirements
so computer products continue to advance from an environmental
standpoint.
“We decided to finalize this program as a national
standard through the IEEE because the IEEE brand will
give it added credibility,” says Elwood. “In
addition, by creating it within an ANSI-accredited
consensus-based process, as is the case with all IEEE
standards, we will make it easier for federal purchasing
agents to adopt the standard since they are encouraged
to use consensus industry standards.”
For information on the IEEE P1680 Working Group, see
www.epeat.net.
IEEE P1680 is sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society.
About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized
standards-setting body, develops voluntary consensus
standards through an open process that brings diverse
parts of an industry and the public together. These
standards set specifications and procedures based
on current scientific consensus. The IEEE-SA has a
portfolio of some 900 active standards and more than
400 standards in development. For information on the
IEEE-SA see: http://standards.ieee.org/.
About the IEEE Corporate Standards Program
The IEEE Corporate Standards Program brings companies
and other organizations together to develop standards
in entity-based working groups. Companies participate
directly in IEEE's accredited standardization process,
with each corporate member entitled to one vote. This
industry-oriented program facilitates work completion
in one to two years, depending on participant commitment
and use of IEEE support services. The program also
expedites international adoption through agreements
and alliances with key international standards organizations.
About the IEEE
The IEEE has more than 360,000 members in approximately
175 countries. Through its members, the organization
is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace,
computers and telecommunications to biomedicine, electric
power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces
nearly 30 percent of the world's literature in the
electrical and electronics engineering, computing
and control technology fields. This nonprofit organization
also sponsors or cosponsors more than 300 technical
conferences each year. Additional information about
the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org
