Green Design

Chemical and product take back regulations, consumer demand for green electronic products and advancements in green engineering and green chemistry are creating opportunities to improve the ecological footprint of electronic products.

CPA is supporting the following initiatives to promote green design in the electronic sector:

1. Creating tools and standards that leverage greener electronic products.
2. Supporting policies that leverage safer chemical and material use in electronic products.

Applying the Green Screen for Safer Chemicals to chemicals of concern in the electronic sector: The Green Screen is a scientifically robust chemical screening tool that allows companies to select chemicals that are inherently safer from an environmental and human health perspective. Click here to learn more about the Green Screen and our analysis on safer flame retardants

Defining a deeper shade of green for sustainable plastic use in electronic products. Coming soon, CPA will be releasing a new report in the winter of 2008 that profiles the environmental performance of prominently used plastics in electronic enclosures and defines life cycle criteria for sustainable plastics.

Establishing strong purchasing standards through EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool): CPA sits on the advisory board of EPEAT. We are working to strengthen the criteria used to assess the environmental performance of products throughout their life cycle. Currently it is the only product assessment tool that allows purchasers to give preference to products that are more sustainable throughout their life cycle. EPEAT only registers computers, but it is our goal to expand EPEAT to include televisions, and other high volume electronic products. To learn more about EPEAT, current environmental performance criteria and products registered, click here (www.epeat.net).

Establishing and implementing ETBC’s Green Design Initiative: Informed by the principles of green engineering and green chemistry, CPA and partners in the Electronic Take Back Coalition developed green design principles that are intended to improve the ecological footprint of electronic products. Click here to review the principles. Click here to download CPA’s factsheets on Green Chemistry.

Additional Resources:

Download CPA Factsheets:

• Progress towards PVC and BFR Elimination by Leading Electronic Manufacturers


• Electronic Waste: A Public Health Issue


• Deca-BDE: Human Health and Environmental Concerns

Greenpeace’s Green Electronics Guide which evaluates the environmental performance of leading electronic companies on a quarterly basis.

With the emergence of new regulations on high hazard chemicals, many leading electronic companies have invested in the precautionary approach to chemical management to reduce liability and better ensure safer chemical and material use in electronic products.

1. Increasing regulations on halogenated chemicals (bromine and chlorine based chemicals), heavy metals and other high hazard chemicals:


• REACH—a new chemical policy that requires public disclosure and safer substitution for high hazard chemicals, including those that persist and accumulate in the environment and or are linked to cancer and reproductive harm.
• US and EU chemical regulations (Washington and Maine have banned the use of certain brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in electronic products, Norway and Sweden are looking to ban a broad range of BFRs including TBBPA the largest BFR in commerce).
• European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) which currently bans certain applications of mercury, lead, certain brominated flame retardants (PBDEs, PBBs), and cadmium, but is open for additional substance in 2008/2009
2. National Electronics Sustainability Initiative that establishes a federal program to provide incentives and resources for green chemistry and engineering developments in the electronic sector.


• Establishes a National Clean Electronics Research and Development fund that supports the rapid development of electronic products that are cleaner, safer and more sustainable throughout their life cycle. For more information, click here.
3. State and federal based Green Chemistry Initiatives like California’s Green Chemistry initiative that will close data gaps, require restrictions on substances of high concern and promote green chemistry research and development.

Resources

CPA’s case study of Dell’s Precautionary Approach to Chemical Management.

To learn more about REACH and other European chemical policy changes, visit Chemsec’s website.

To learn more about California’s Green Chemistry Initiative click here.