This post was written by ISTC staff member Kirsten Walker.
As of April 2, 2013 high definition televisions are part of the greener electronics family of EPEAT. LG and Samsung, who contribute to one third of the global shipments and revenues, are major participating companies. Televisions must meet 24 performance evaluation criteria to be included in the EPEAT registry. Some of the criteria include life cycle basis, elimination of toxic substances, use of recycled and recyclable materials, design for recycling, product longevity, energy efficiency, corporate performance and packaging. The inclusion of TVs comes shortly after the approval of imaging equipment like scanners or copiers.
According to the EPEAT blog, “Since 2006, purchasers choosing EPEAT-registered electronics over products that don’t meet the system’s criteria have eliminated greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 11 million U.S. vehicles’ annual impact, avoided more than 394,000 metric tons of hazardous waste and reduced solid waste by nearly 167,000 metric tons – equivalent to nearly 86,000 U.S. households’ annual waste.”
For more information, visit the the EPEAT blog, Green Tech Advocates, and Environmental Leader