EPEAT environmental rating system expanding to India

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Green Electronics Council has announced the expansion of the EPEAT environmental rating system to India, where purchasers spent $9.5 billion on computing hardware alone in 2013.

Manufacturers have already begun the process of qualifying PCs and Displays, Imaging Equipment and Televisions for India. Information on products registered in the country will be publicly accessible in the second quarter of 2014.

India will be the 43rd country in which EPEAT registration and verification services are available to help purchasers select products that reduce their environmental impact.

EPEAT, which stands for "Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool," rates products on a lifecycle basis. The system addresses the elimination of toxic substances, the use of recycled and recyclable materials, product design for recycling, product longevity, energy efficiency, corporate performance and packaging attributes. Manufacturers register their products in EPEAT on a country-by-country basis to ensure all product and service criteria are supported and verified for local markets.

By 2016, the total amount spent on information and communications technology (ICT) in India is predicted to grow to $14.3 billion. "Indian industry and enterprise use ICT products to create new efficiencies and sustainability benefits," said Seema Arora, executive director of the Confederation of Indian Industry's Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development. "The availability of EPEAT registration will enable business purchasers to easily identify and select environmentally preferable electronics and increase the net benefit of these activities."