Eight Categories Used to Evaluate Eco-Friendly Laptops

There’s a lot to like about the convenience, portability and power we get out of today’s laptop and notebook computers. With millions of these now in use worldwide, it is important to consider sustainability factors such as their build design and life cycle. With this in mind there are some that are greener and more environmentally friendly than others, and the good news is that you can now make your purchasing decision based on selecting a notebook that meets established environmental standards.

Epeat® is an organization that evaluates electronic products in relation to 51 total environmental criteria, 23 required criteria and 28 optional criteria. Products are also ranked in EPEAT according to three tiers of environmental performance – Bronze, Silver, and Gold. All registered products must meet the required criteria, and achieve Bronze status. Manufacturers may then achieve a higher level EPEAT “rating” for products by meeting additional optional criteria.

Eight categories used by Epeat® to evaluate eco-friendly laptops:

1. Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials
2. Materials selection
3. Design for end of life
4. Product longevity/life cycle extension
5. Energy conservation
6. End of life management
7. Corporate performance
8. Packaging

Visit the Epeat website at http://www.epeat.net/PublicSearch.aspx to find notebooks that qualify.