EPEAT® Criteria

Climate Change Mitigation

These criteria require electronics brands to design and manufacture products with climate change mitigation in mind, including but not limited to:

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• Measure GHG emissions and publicly disclose product carbon footprints or life cycle assessments that have been reviewed by a third-party expert
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• Establish and publicly report progress on meeting science-based GHG emission reduction targets across manufacturer and supply chain operations
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• Implement best practices for decarbonization, including manufacturing energy efficiency, renewable electricity sourcing, product energy efficiency, and reducing high global warming potential chemicals in manufacturing

Sustainable Use of Resources (Circularity)

Products that meet these criteria are designed to conserve material resources and enable circular systems, including but not limited to:

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• Increase use of reused and recycled content
• Design for durability, repair and reuse, availability of replacement components and repair services, use of long-life rechargeable batteries, prohibition of use of software parts pairing as a barrier to repair, and access to system firmware
• Responsibly manage once products ultimately reach end-of-life
• Package in recycled, rapidly renewable or certified forest management / chain of custody packaging
• Implement water stewardship

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Chemicals of Concern

Products that meet these criteria are designed to reduce life cycle impacts related to chemicals of concern in the product, those that workers are exposed to during manufacturing, and those used in packaging, including but not limited to:

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• Increase knowledge & publicly disclose chemical substances found in products
• Restrict use of known hazardous substances such as PFAS (forever chemicals), lead, cadmium, beryllium, halogenated flame retardants and phthalates in products
• Identify safer substances using hazard assessment to avoid the introduction of regrettable substitutes
• Reduce use of high priority process chemicals in manufacturing operations to protect workers
• Reduce toxicity of packaging including PFAS, heavy metals, chlorinated compounds and phthalates

Responsible Supply Chains

Products that meet these criteria are designed to mitigate labor and occupational health and safety (OHS) concerns in the electronics supply chain, including but not limited to:

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• Mitigate labor and OHS risks through supply chain risk assessment and audits of manufacturer and supplier facilities
• Conduct living wage assessments and directly engage workers to improve workplace conditions and publicly report on activities undertaken
• Enable safer and more sustainable labor and workforce practices
• Promote and demonstrate responsible mineral sourcing

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Imaging Equipment Consumables

These criteria only apply to consumables (such as toner cartridges and copy paper) used in imaging equipment products. Products that meet these criteria are designed to:

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• Conserve material resources
• Reduce GHG emissions by allowing for the use of recycled content paper and remanufactured cartridges
• Protect human health by addressing indoor air quality
• Enable circularity through take-back of ink and toner cartridges

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EPEAT Criteria for Solar Products

EPEAT criteria for solar products address multiple attributes and performance categories across the product life cycle, including but not limited to embodied carbon, management of substances, preferable materials use, life cycle assessments, energy efficiency and water use, responsible end-of-life management, design for recycling, product packaging, and corporate responsibility.

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EPEAT Photovoltaic Modules and Inverters Category Criteria: NSF/ANSI 457-2019 (r2024) Sustainability Leadership Standard for Photovoltaic Modules and Photovoltaic Inverters and EPEAT-ULCS-2023 Criteria for the Assessment of Ultra-Low Carbon Solar Modules. Photovoltaic modules must meet the criteria in both documents, and photovoltaic inverters must meet the criteria only in NSF/ANSI 457-2019.

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The standard EPEAT verification process requirements apply to all product categories, but verification for photovoltaic modules is more nuanced due to the requirements for embodied carbon thresholds – see EPEAT Solar Category Verification Overview and GEC List of Designated Experts for Ultra-Low Carbon Solar Module Criteria for further details.

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