Green Design
We co-authored the Vienna Recommendations (April 2011) for a UN process on reducing and eliminating hazardous chemicals in the design, manufacturing, and end of life stages of electronic products. Download presentation.
Clean Production Action report: Greening Consumer Electronics - from Hazardous Material to Sustainable Solutions shows how leading companies are moving to safer chemicals throughout their supply chain. This report was presented to the European Parliament in October 2009 to influence the revision of the Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electronic products.
Apple, Sony Ericsson and Major Suppliers are Leading the Industry in Removing Chlorine and Bromine Based Substances from Electronic Products. Click here for the report.
Click here for more information about the conference.
Soesterberg Principles
Electronic Sustainability Commitment
Each new generation of technical improvements in electronic products should include parallel and proportional improvements in environmental, health and safety as well as social justice attributes.
-Adopted by the Trans-Atlantic Network for
Clean Production, May 16, 1999
CPA is supporting the following initiatives to promote green design in the electronic sector:
Defining procurement standards for green electronics
CPA is on the Board of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), which registers computers and soon to be other electronic products based on their environmental performance. The standard uses 51 criteria to evaluate products across their life cycle. Products listed on EPEAT are more energy efficient, have less toxic substances and will be taken back by producers at the end of life. Success of EPEAT shows that there is market support for producer take back and green design:
- The EPEAT green computer procurement system ended 2007 with over $60 billion in contracts.
- The US federal government is mandated to buy at least 95% of its computer products through EPEAT.
- Over 500 products are listed on the registry.
Click here to learn more about the products registered on EPEAT.
Creating tools and standards that leverage greener electronic products
Applying the GreenScreen™ for Safer Chemicals to chemicals of concern in the electronic sector: The GreenScreen™ is a scientifically robust chemical screening tool that allows companies to select chemicals that are inherently safer from an environmental and human health perspective. Click here to learn more about the GreenScreen™ and our analysis on safer flame retardants
Defining a deeper shade of green for sustainable plastic use in electronic products.
Clean Production Action has released a beta version of the Plastics Scorecard to aid companies in choosing safer plastics.
Additional Resources:
Download CPA Factsheets:
- Apple’s “elemental” approach restricting chlorine and bromine is a milestone achievement in environmental protection
- How Producer Responsibility for Product Take-Back can Promote Eco-Design (2007)
- Progress towards PVC and BFR Elimination by Leading Electronic Manufacturers
- Electronic Waste: A Public Health Issue
- Deca-BDE: Human Health and Environmental Concerns
Greenpeace’s Green Electronics Guide which evaluates the environmental performance of leading electronic companies on a quarterly basis.
