Discover the role of environmental standards in Greener IT Procurement.
Understand which environmental standards product attributes and filters can help IT buyers and CPOs address their environmental and supply chain concerns and goals.
1. GREENER IT HARDWARE & ACCESSORY SOURCING
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS’ ROLE IN SUSTAINABLE IT PROCUREMENT
FEBRUARY 2022
In this report you will discover the role of environmental standards in IT procure-
ment and understand which environmental standards product attributes and
filters can help IT buyers and CPOs address their environmental and supply chain
concerns and goals.
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3
MARKIT ENGAGES ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND ECO LABELLING 4
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND ECO LABELS 4
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND LABELS 6
TCO CERTIFIED 6
EPEAT 6
ENERGY STAR 7
80 PLUS 7
FSC 7
PEFC 8
TOTALLY CHLORINE FREE 8
FAIRTRADE 8
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND LABELS 9
EU ENERGY LABEL / ENERGY CLASS FILTER 9
BLUE ANGEL / BLAUER ENGEL 9
EU ECOLABEL 9
NORDIC SWAN ECOLABEL 10
AUSTRIAN ECOLABEL 10
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INTRODUCTION
Here at Markit we (could) define sustainable IT procurement as procurement that generates benefits not
only for us and our clients but also for society and the wider economy, whilst minimising the damage to
the environment.
Whichever way we define sustainable procurement, one thing is certain, Corporate Social Responsibility
is rising on executive agendas around the world, and sustainability is a key part of that shift. Whilst con-
sumer pressure and pessimistic climate change studies are key triggers, it is important to recognise the
accompanying business reality too, that:
Sustainable procurement and sourcing should genuinely improve the buying organisation’s business and
future-proof its long-term objectives.
According to the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, effective sustainable procurement mat-
ters because it means an organisation lives up to its mission statement and builds reputation and trust
amongst its target consumers and partners.
“Procurement’s role is expanding and issues like environmental
impact, waste reduction and supply chain ethics are becoming
prioritised.
Markit’s environmental standards product attributes and filters
give our clients’ IT buyers additional opportunities to address
both environmental and supply chain concerns related to the IT
hardware and accessories they buy.”
Andres Agasild
CEO, Markit
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MARKIT ENGAGES ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND
ECO LABELLING
Many of our larger clients are adopting social, economic, and environmental factors alongside the typical
price and quality considerations into their handling of IT procurement processes and procedures.
Successful sustainable procurement involves a higher degree of collaboration and engagement between
all parties in a supply chain. So many businesses have adopted a broad interpretation of sustainable
procurement and developed various tools and techniques to support supplier engagement and collabo-
ration.
One of the ways Markit is contributing to the sustainable IT procurement topic is by providing clients
with accurate and timely environmental standards information at a product attribute level within the
Markit IT marketplace.
Computers, displays and other IT products come with several sustainability risks e.g., conflict minerals,
hazardous substances, poor working conditions in the supply chain, and product energy inefficiencies.
Choosing IT products that are better for people and the planet can make a significant difference.
Looking closer at the product itself and how it was made, opens opportunities on ways to recognise, and
potentially minimise, the overall environmental impact of a purchasing decision or product choice.
Is it made of restricted materials? Has power usage information been measured? Is its design energy
efficient? Can it be reused or recycled? Can the packaging? and so on...
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND ECO LABELS
There are numerous standards and eco-labels that describe the environmental attributes of a product.
Buyers are increasingly looking for recognisable and credible standards that demonstrate a commitment
to sustainability e.g., TCO Certified, Energy Star® certification, or EPEAT rating for example.
Different labels represent different standards, so it is important to be able to distinguish between them
and choose the one(s) most relevant to your IT buying criteria.
You may for example want to:
• Help buyers make sustainable IT purchasing decisions
• Encourage responsible IT usage (energy efficiency, carbon consumption)
• Address lifecycle management (circular economy, upcycling/recycling)
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From an online IT catalogue or marketplace perspective, displaying the data on a product’s specification
sheet is not enough on its own. There also need to be filters in place that allow the IT buyers to find and
select relevant IT products that match the environmental standards they seek.
In the Markit catalogue of over 4 million IT products (unique SKUs) there are over 20 environmental stan-
dards-related product attributes and respective filters.
Markit catalogue showing environmental standards filters and
real time stock availability for the “Monitors” category
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INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND LABELS
TCO CERTIFIED TCO Certified is the world’s most comprehensive sustainability
certification for IT products. Compliance is independently verified,
both pre and post certification. Due to its independent verifica-
tion of compliance TCO Certified therefore can be considered to
carry more weight than some other accreditations.
Relevant IT categories
Displays, Notebooks, Tablets, Smartphones, Desktops, All-in-one PCs, Projectors,
Headsets, Network equipment, Data storage products and servers.
TCO Certified product category information:
www.tcocertified.com/product-categories/
“We encourage IT vendors to offer platforms where purchasers can search for products
that are certified according to TCO Certified. Making informed product choices helps IT
procuring organizations more effectively meet their sustainability targets for both environ-
mental and supply chain responsibility.”
Dmytro Kapotia
Purchaser Engagement
TCO Development
EPEAT The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is
a method for companies to evaluate the effect of an IT product on
the environment. EPEAT LEVEL assesses various lifecycle envi-
ronmental aspects of a device and ranks products as Gold, Silver
or Bronze based on a set of environmental performance criteria.
EPEAT is an open registry where producers, after self-evaluation,
pay and register their products. The Global Electronics Council
(GEC) manages the EPEAT ecolabel. GEC has met the requirements
of ISO 14024, which is necessary for managing a Type 1 ecolabel.
GEC sets the policies for the EPEAT ecolabel.
Relevant IT categories
Desktops & Servers, Notebooks, Scanners, Monitors, Printers, Televisions & Flat
Panels, Multifunction & Office Machines, Mobile Phones
About EPEAT: www.epeat.net/about-epeat
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ENERGY STAR ® ENERGY STAR® is a USA government-backed symbol for energy
efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information.
Businesses can make well-informed decisions on the energy sav-
ing potential of Energy Star rated IT devices.
Relevant IT categories
Desktops & Servers, Notebooks, Tablets & e-Book Readers, Motherboards,
System Cabinets, Port Expansion, Hard Drives, Disk Drives, Tape Drives, Network
Storage, Storage Adapters, Storage Enclosures & RAID Arrays, Keyboards,
Scanners, Input Adapters, Monitors, Video Cards, Modems, Concentrators &
Multiplexers, Repeaters & Transceivers, Hubs & Switches, Bridges & Routers,
Network Devices, Network Adapters, Business Phone Systems, Televisions & Flat
Panels, VCRs, Blu-ray & DVD Players, Camcorders & Digital Cameras, Combined
AV Devices, Digital AV Players & Recorders, Home Audio, Portable Audio,
Speakers, Accessories, Multifunction & Office Machines, Telephones.
About ENERGY STAR products: www.energystar.gov/about/origins_mission/en-
ergy_star_overview/about_energy_star_products
80 PLUS 80 Plus (trademarked 80 PLUS) is a voluntary certification pro-
gram intended to promote efficient energy use in computer power
supply units (PSUs). It certifies products that have more than 80%
energy efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% of rated load, and a pow-
er factor of 0.9 or greater at 100% load. Such PSUs waste 20% or
less electric energy as heat at the specified load levels, reducing
electricity use and bills compared to less efficient PSUs.
Relevant IT categories
Power supplies.
Useful information: www.clearesult.com/80plus/
FSC Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) is a global forest certifica-
tion system established for forests and forest products. Most used
when talking about sustainable paper products.
Relevant IT categories
Printer consumables.
About FSC certification: www.fsc.org/en/forest-management-certification
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PEFC Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™)
is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization
which promotes sustainable forest management through inde-
pendent third-party certification. It is considered the certification
system of choice for small forest owners. Most used when talking
about sustainable paper products.
Relevant IT categories
Printer consumables.
About PEFC certification:
www.pefc.org/what-we-do/our-approach/what-is-certification
TOTALLY CHLORINE
FREE
Totally chlorine free (TCF) is paper that does not use any chlorine
compounds for wood pulp bleaching.
Relevant IT categories
Printer consumables.
Useful information: www.chlorinefreeproducts.org/About_Us.html
FAIRTRADE Mostly about food and farming, but also covers gold usage. These
days, you may carry gold in a different form: it’s a component of
many portable electronics, from phones to laptops.
Fairtrade certification aims at banning all forms of conflict miner-
als from the gold supply chain, so that the gold trade does not fuel
instability and conflict in mining areas. At the same time, Fair-
trade supports ASM cooperatives to acquire legal status for their
operations and enables miners to act collectively against any form
of discrimination.
Relevant IT categories
Projectors, Printer Consumables, Office Shredders, Binding Machines,
Calculators, Cash Registers.
Useful information: info.fairtrade.net/product/gold
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EU ENERGY LABEL /
ENERGY CLASS FILTER
The EU energy label is designed to provide consumers with ac-
curate, recognizable and comparable information on domestic
household products regarding energy consumption, performance
and other essential characteristics. It allows consumers and busi-
nesses to identify how energy efficient a product actually is and to
assess a product’s potential to reduce energy costs.
Relevant IT categories
Monitors, Televisions & Flat Panels.
About the energy label and eco-design:
ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-
labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/energy-label-and-ecodesign/
about_en
EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND LABELS
EU ECOLABEL Established in 1992 and recognised across Europe and world-
wide, the EU Ecolabel is a label of environmental excellence that
is awarded to products and services meeting high environmen-
tal standards throughout their life cycle: from raw material ex-
traction, to production, distribution and disposal. The EU Ecolabel
promotes the circular economy by encouraging producers to gen-
erate less waste and CO2 during the manufacturing process.
Relevant IT categories
UPS & Power Devices, Pointing devices, Monitors, Projectors, Printer Consum-
ables, Televisions & Flat Panels, Office Shredders, Binding Machines, Calculators,
Cash Registers.
Useful information: ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm
EU Ecolabel Electronic Displays: ec.europa.eu/ecat/category/en/59/electron-
ic-displays
AUSTRIAN ECOLABEL The “Austrian Ecolabel” was created on the initiative of the Feder-
al Ministry of Environment in 1990. This label provides the general
public with information on the environmental impact of consumer
goods that arises from their production, usage and disposal and
attracts the attention of consumers to alternative environmental-
ly friendly products.
Relevant IT categories
UPS & Power Devices, Pointing devices, Projectors, Printer Consumables, Office
Shredders, Binding Machines, Calculators, Cash Registers.
Useful information: www.umweltzeichen.at/en/products/office-paper-printing
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NORDIC SWAN
ECOLABEL
Established in 1989 by the Nordic Council of Ministers as a vol-
untary ecolabelling scheme for the Nordic countries Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel:
• Sets strict environmental requirements in all relevant phases
of a product’s life cycle
• Sets strict requirements for chemicals used in ecolabelled
products
• Tightens requirements for goods and services continuously to
create sustainable development
• Certifies and verifies that all requirements are met before a
product is approved.
Relevant IT categories
UPS & Power Devices, Pointing devices, Projectors, Printers, Printer Consum-
ables, Multifunction & Office Machines, Office Shredders, Binding Machines,
Calculators, Cash Registers.
Useful information:
Imaging equipment product group covers printers, scanners, copiers and fax
machines etc.
www.nordic-ecolabel.org/product-groups/group/?productGroupCode=015
BLUE ANGEL /
BLAUER ENGEL
The Blue Angel has been the ecolabel of the German federal
government for more than 40 years. Products with the Blue Angel
comply with a strict and transparent catalogue of criteria that fo-
cus on aspects relevant to the environment and human health. In
this respect, purchasing products with the Blue Angel guarantees
that the products have a lower environmental impact and high-
er protection for human health in comparison to other products
designed for the same purpose.
Relevant IT categories
Desktops & Servers, Notebooks, System Cabinets, Disk Drives, Keyboards, Moni-
tors, Multifunction & Office Machines.
Benefits to procurement:
www.blauer-engel.de/en/procurement/use-blue-angel-procurement