| Purchasing Power Can Change the Industry
Downloads related to information provided here:
Computer Purchasing Guidelines for Institutions:
PDF /
Word
Equipment EOL Form:
PDF /
Word
Packaging Takeback Form Word:
PDF /
Word /
How to Buy Better Computers: PDF
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Large institutional consumers of electronics, such as healthcare facilities;
colleges and universities; and local, state and federal government have the
ability to leverage purchasing power to drive higher environmental, health and
safety and labor standards throughout the electronics industry. Currently, there
is little incentive for electronics manufacturers to consider the labor, health
and environmental concerns in design, production or end-of-life management of
the products they make. By integrating social and environmental values into
the purchasing calculus, consumers can lead the way in setting new standards
for the industry.
The Heart of the Problem
 Toxics:
Thousands of chemicals are used in the production of electronics, and many pose
hazards to workers, communities and consumers throughout the product life-cycle.
They account for approximately 70% of the heavy metals found in solid waste
landfills and contain hazardous materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC or
vinyl), brominated flame retardants, lead, and mercury. These toxicants are
released during the production, use and disposal of electronic products, with
the greatest impact at end-of-life. Harmful chemicals released from incinerators
and leached from landfills contaminate air and groundwater. The burning of plastics
at the waste stage releases dioxins and furans, known developmental and reproductive
toxins which persist in the environment and concentrate up the food-chain.
Labor conditions: The majority of electronic waste that does get diverted
from US landfills and incinerators, upwards of 80% ends up exported to developing
countries, dismantled in US prisons or recycled under poor conditions in the
US. Those who labor in the global high-tech factories or recycling operations
experience poor working conditions, little labor protections and virtually no
health and safety protection. Learn
more about e-waste and toxics in electronics.
EPEAT & Going Beyond EPEAT
The US EPA initiated a process to develop the Electronic Product Environmental
Assessment Tool (EPEAT). Launched in July 2006, EPEAT is a tool to help institutional
purchasers evaluate and select laptops, desktop computers, and monitors according
to a list of preferred environmental attributes. Manufacturers can register
their products at the bronze, silver, or gold level. EPEAT has mandatory criteria,
which must be met for a product to be registered bronze, and optional criteria
that if achieved can yield silver or gold status. It is important to note
that while EPEAT is a significant first step towards responsible electronics
procurement, it has some key limitations - particularly the failure to address
labor conditions during production and end of life management. EPEAT falls
short in the following key areas:
- Limited requirements to eliminate certain hazardous materials
- No requirement to enact takeback policies that safely deal with e-waste
- No requirement to enact occupational health and safety to protect workers
- Weak requirements for responsible recycling
- Weak packaging requirements
CTBC, in collaboration with Health Care Without Harm and Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, has developed additional guidelines to promote higher environmental and labor standards to fill in some of EPEAT’s key gaps. They address occupational health and safety, labor standards, end-of-life management, packaging, and hazardous materials.
We've Made it Easy To Make the Right Decisions
Here is a snapshot of what you will find in our Purchasing Guidelines for Environmentally Preferable Computers (Beyond EPEAT). You can download our short factsheet, "How
to Buy Better Computers ," and the complete Guidelines.
Labor Standards
Responsible electronics products must be produced and recycled in facilities
that meet international labor standards. The purchasing guidelines recommend
buying products from brands with suppliers that meet key standards, including
freedom of association, no forced labor, no child labor, protection from
discrimination, and a living wage. One way to ensure that these standards
are achieved is to purchase electronics produced at SA8000 certified facilities, whenever possible. |
Occupational Health and Safety
Manufacturing and recycling workers are often exposed to hazardous working
conditions. Electronics products that meet the guidelines must be made and
recycled at facilities with high health and safety standards. The guidelines
recommend that facilities demonstrate compliance to international standards.
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Environmentally Sensitive Materials
Requirements for elimination of environmentally sensitive materials should
be pushed beyond what is required by EPEAT. The purchasing guidelines recommend
elimination of all halogenated flame retardants, particularly brominated
flame retardants (BFRs), and elimination of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in
all applications and replacement of the growing use of mercury in liquid
crystal display (LCD) screens. |
End-of-Life Management
Recycling programs must have high environmental, health, safety, and labor
standards. The guidelines recommend recyclers that do not use incarcerated
labor, do not send electronics to solid waste landfills or incinerators (including waste-to-energy operations), and do not export electronics illegally for disposal in developing countries. |
Packaging
The purchasing guidelines recommend that products have a takeback program
for packaging, that packaging is made from easily recyclable materials such
as molded paper and cardboard, and that whenever possible packaging materials
are reusable or recyclable. Polystyrene should be eliminated from packaging. |
If you need assistance with customizing contract language, please contact Sue
Chiang at the Center for Environmental Health (email sue -(at) cehca.org)
or call (510) 594-9864 x311.
Sign up for Updates:
These guidelines will be reviewed periodically and revised to incorporate the
latest developments in technology and the industry. If you wish to be contacted
when a newer version is available, please send an email to sue -(at) cehca.org
with the subject line: CTBC Purchasing Guidelines Updates.
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