All manufacturers are working to eliminate toxic substances and reduce the amount of materials from their products. Several consumer electronics companies are also experimenting with biodegradeable materials for use in their products. Tom Dunne, the deputy assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response at the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA), told an audience at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that the EPA is encouraging DfE. He also described the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), which was designed specifically for evaluating the environmental performance of electronic products throughout their life cycle to help meet the growing demand by large institutional purchasers to buy greener products.
Dunne expects EPEAT to be accepted as an industry standard later this year. EPEAT rates performance in eight categories of product performance: reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, materials selection, design for end-of-life, life-cycle extension, energy conservation, end-of-life management, corporate performance, and packaging.
Much of the criteria for EPEAT were drawn from existing U.S. and international standards such as Energy Star, RoHS, the IT-Eco Declaration, and the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA). The criteria will be reviewed and updated periodically. At last count, 14 federal agencies and several states had signed on to use the tool in their future electronic purchases, including computers, laptops, and communications equipment.
Several industry companies have become EPEAT Development Team members, including Apple Computer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Panasonic, Sharp Electronics, and the Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA) trade association. Dunne also says his agency is working with industry OEMs to develop a better information base to determine how electronics are being recycled in the U.S.
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