EPEAT: Helping Buyers Make Sustainable Decisions

As Lavergne’s mission of transforming plastic continues moving ahead, we sometimes find ourselves saying our sector needs a few extra pieces. It’s a natural part of any significant transformation.

As we focus on growing sustainability, perfecting the closed loop recycling process and educating people about plastics manufacturing, the sector needs something extra.

What do we need exactly?

We need a labelling system — comprehensive, analytical and trustworthy labels and certifications that help industry, producers, suppliers and customers identify those products that meet the highest standards for social, environmental and energy sustainability.

It will be an ongoing project as the industry grows and transforms. The good news is some positive steps have already been made.

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)

The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is one of those positive first steps.

EPEAT is an eco-label for the IT sector, designed to help procurement managers and consumers make conscious and informed choices when buying electronics. It’s also an opportunity for manufacturers to get the recognition they deserve for their vision and innovation creating sustainable products.

EPEAT’s labelling process focuses on a comprehensive range of sustainability categories, including:

• Use of post consumer recycled plastic
• Responsible End-of-Life Management
• Design for repair, reuse and recycling
• Substance Management
• Preferable Materials Use
• Energy Efficiency
• Indoor Air quality and Consumables
• Product Packaging
• Product Longevity
• LCA & Carbon Footprint
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Corporate Environmental Performance
• Manufacturing Chemicals

EPEAT was commissioned by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and delivered by the Green Electronics Council (GEC). The EPEAT Registry is now an available online resource at www.epeat.net.

Closed Loop

At Lavergne, we know that the EPEAT categories relate mostly to the same areas we focus on to perfect our Closed Loop system — where plastic products reaching the end of their lives to live again (and again!) in an infinite loop of creating products using post-consumer plastics.

EPEAT also embraces the importance of Closed Loop and efforts to move towards an “infinite recycling” scenario. The truth is that even products made with recycled plastics may end up in a landfill. A Closed Loop brings about that infinite cycle.

At that point, it’s less about recycling and more about a ground-breaking way of making plastics — by using post-consumer plastics!

EPEAT is another tool in our mission of “making plastic circular” — providing incentives for creating and purchasing products made in the most innovative, environmentally-friendly way.

EPEAT Registration

The EPEAT registration is built on a comprehensive set of standards developed through consultation with industry and stakeholders.

Each product category includes both “required” and “optional” criteria. The “required” standards represent EPEAT’s baseline; all products listed on the EPEAT Registry have successfully met those standards. Companies can go beyond that baseline by meeting “optional” criteria. The combination of the required and optional standards lead to each product’s gold, silver or bronze registration levels.

• EPEAT Bronze — Products meeting all required criteria and achieving less than 50% of the optional points
• EPEAT Silver — Products meeting all required criteria and achieving 50% to 74% of the optional points
• EPEAT Gold — Products meeting all required criteria and achieving 75% to 100% of the optional points

There’s a lot of good news in this system. To begin, the required standards are comprehensive. For example, the Computers and Displays Category requires all products to be made with:

• Minimum post-consumer recycled plastic, ITE-derived post-consumer recycled plastic or bio-based plastic content (4.2.1.1)
• Plastic parts compatible with recycling (4.3.2.1)
• Plastic parts separable for recycling (4.3.2.2)

Other required standards consider whether the product includes end-of-life processing or separable packing material, or whether the company reports on its environmental performance.

Moving into the optional requirements, companies can earn points for:

• Higher post-consumer recycled, ITE-derived post-consumer recycled plastic (4.2.1.2)
• Post-consumer recycled, ITE-derived post-consumer recycled plastic (4.2.1.3)

Companies can also earn optional points for reducing their overall carbon footprint, disclosing their analyses of carbon emissions, or committing to renewable energy for themselves and their suppliers.

The Future of Electronics and e-Waste

In the coming years, properly managing e-waste by tackling those millions (more likely billions) of discarded smartphones, laptops, printers, keyboards and mice will be essential.

Lavergne is doing our part. Our plastics resins are made from post-consumer plastics such as water bottles, food containers and e-waste such as computers, printers and ink cartridges. They’re a valuable source of EPEAT points — both required points and optional points — to raise your overall EPEAT score.

Each of us shares a vision of a healthy, efficient world without waste. Raising your EPEAT score is a significant step towards realizing it.