ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS:
EPEAT Primer

Did you know that in the last two months more than 10 million “green” computers and related IT services were purchased by government and business institutions? This market actually grew by more than 50% last year. There is strong demand for environmentally responsible technology solutions.

It is all driven by EPEAT – the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. Due to a Federal Executive Order passed in 2007, 95% of all Federal IT Purchases must meet the EPEAT standard. That is more than $280 billion dedicated to Green IT from the federal government. State governments and private businesses are also specifying EPEAT products and services.
EPEAT is a procurement tool, maintained by The Green Electronics Council, to help large volume purchasers in public and private sectors evaluate, compare, and select desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors based on their environmental attributes.

Recognizing the environmental impacts associated with the manufacture, use, and disposal of electronic products, growing numbers of purchasers in all sectors of business are seeking ways to buy more environmentally preferable computer products and are including language in contracts requiring that products be EPEAT registered.

The Green Electronics Council recently released the 2007 EPEAT Environmental Benefits report , detailing that since the tool's inception in July 2006, EPEAT-qualified machines have resulted in a reduction of 42.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity use. The report further notes 109 million individual EPEAT-qualified units were sold in 2007, an increase of 150-percent over 2006 numbers.
EPEAT has 27 participating manufacturers and features nearly 600 registered products.