Simplifying Greener Electronics Purchasing with EPEAT
This session will looked at the impacts of electronics on the global environment, and introduced the EPEAT environmental rating system as a tool for reducing the environmental impacts of electronics procurement, use and disposition.
Information and Communications Technology helps organizations increase the efficiency and sustainability of their operations, yet electronic devices also have significant environmental impacts throughout their lifecycle. Many purchasers, though conversant with performance and pricing attributes, are unsure how hesitant address issues of environmental performance in their bid processes.
EPEAT, which stands for “Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool,” rates products on a lifecycle basis, addressing the elimination of toxic substances, the use of recycled and recyclable materials, product design for recycling, product longevity, energy efficiency, corporate performance and packaging attributes. EPEAT is based on public consensus standards and enables hundreds of government, institutional and enterprise purchasers across 42 countries to credibly address environmental issues in their electronics procurement.
EPEAT addresses PCs, Imaging (printers, copiers), monitors and TVs, with server and mobile device standards under development. Manufacturers 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, and the system is expanding to India in 2014.
In this session, Chandra Kishore, Founder, Indian Environment Network ( www.paryavaran.com ) talks to Sarah O’Brien, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Green Electronics Council .
About the Trainer:
Sarah O’Brien works with purchasers, manufacturers and other stakeholders to support the development of green procurement, design, delivery, and end of life management efforts for electronics through the EPEAT program -- the pre-eminent global system for evaluating ‘green’ electronics.
Previously, at H2E/Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, Ms O’Brien assisted health care facilities, systems and Group Purchasing Organizations to improve environmental performance through purchasing. With the national nonprofit INFORM, earlier, Ms O’Brien assisted state and municipal governments and businesses across the US to eliminate purchase of products containing toxic chemicals. As environmental health advocate for the National Wildlife Federation and Vermont PIRG, she was involved in legislative advocacy and public education throughout the Northeast United States.
Ms. O’Brien graduated magna cum laude from Yale University, and received her Masters in Anthropology as a Russell Conwell Scholar at Temple University.
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