EPEAT® Independent Verification

Credible by Design

Our commitment to credibility is reflected in everything we do – in our verification system and in the oversight, training and requirements for the accredited conformity assurance bodies we work with. Our system is rigorous and designed to ensure that all products that appear in the EPEAT Registry meet EPEAT criteria, initially and on an ongoing basis.

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Stakeholders can review the EPEAT Policy Manual for a deeper understanding of the underlying policies, principles and practices used by EPEAT to ensure the highest levels of credibility, transparency and rigor.

Initial Verification

Before products can appear in the EPEAT Registry, independent and accredited verification experts – called conformity assurance bodies (CABs) – must verify that the products meet EPEAT criteria. All companies interested in participating in EPEAT are required to engage with one of the GEC approved CABs.

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EPEAT requires CABs to maintain independent accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020 or ISO/IEC 17065 to demonstrate that they have the necessary technical competencies. We also implement a rigorous oversight process to ensure consistency across the CAB network.

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CABs are required to meet annual technical performance metrics and are audited by EPEAT annually. CAB personnel are required to pass both initial and on-going annual proficiency training and exams for every product category where they perform EPEAT verification activities.

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EPEAT requires CABs to maintain accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020 or ISO/IEC 17065 to demonstrate that they have the necessary technical competencies. We also implement a rigorous oversight process to ensure consistency across the CAB network. CABs are required to meet annual technical performance metrics and are audited by EPEAT every year. And CAB personnel are required to pass initial and on-going annual proficiency training and exams for every product category where they perform EPEAT verification activities.

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During the verification process, CABs must review many different types of evidence – this sometimes includes test reports produced by ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratories, but many criteria require evidence beyond what a laboratory can evaluate.

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CABs review evidence including but not limited to test reports, contracts, internal procedures, supplier codes of conduct, supplier risk assessments, life cycle assessments, product carbon footprints, and more.
With over 40% of the EPEAT 2.0 criteria impacting the supply chain, CABs also review evidence of conformance systems working across a participating company’s entire supply chain and at all sites that produce EPEAT registered products and components that go into them.

It’s also important to understand that neither CABs nor EPEAT perform onsite audits for issues such as fair labor practices, energy or environmental management systems. Instead, EPEAT requires these audits to be performed by accredited bodies with recognized expertise in these areas – we want CABs to rely on the work of experts in each of these respective areas.

Continuous Monitoring

We ensure that EPEAT registered products meet EPEAT criteria not just initially, but also on an ongoing basis through a surveillance process called Continuous Monitoring. All registered products in all product categories from all participating companies are subject to Continuous Monitoring at any time.

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Continuous Monitoring activities occur throughout the year and test the ability of participating companies to prove conformance with EPEAT criteria on an ongoing basis. Some activities involve CABs evaluating documentation submitted by the participating companies. Other activities include testing and evaluation of products in ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratories, where products are obtained from the open market without involvement of the participating companies, where possible.

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If nonconformances are identified, participating companies have 30 days to correct them. If they are unable to, the affected products are removed from the EPEAT Registry.

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EPEAT is committed to transparency. The annual schedule of Continuous Monitoring Rounds, as well as all individual Round Plans are publicly available below. Products found nonconformant with EPEAT criteria in Continuous Monitoring and the corresponding corrective actions taken are published in Outcomes Reports, also available below.