On May 22, 2019, the Green Electronics Council awarded Berkeley Lab the 2019 Five-Star EPEAT Purchaser Award for purchasing sustainable IT products. Berkeley Lab received the highest number of stars available for the award in 2019 and is one of eight organizations that achieved the Five-Star level. Last year, Berkeley received the Four-Star EPEAT Purchaser Award.
The 2019 EPEAT Purchaser Award winners realized cost savings of approximately $90M over the lifetime of their purchased IT products and also environmental benefits, which included:
- Reducing greenhouse gas reductions by the equivalent of removing approximately 115,000 passenger cars from the road for one year
- Reducing energy usage by approximately 900 million kWh
- Avoiding nearly 1,500 metric tons of water pollutant emissions (Source: Green Electronics Council Official Press Release [May 2019])
The Lab communicates EPEAT requirements on the LBNL Procurement website and also in eBuy, the Lab’s online ordering solution for common office, lab, and computer supplies. For example in eBuy:
- The following ‘EPEAT purchase alert’ is displayed on the Dell catalog’s landing page before the customer can peruse it and make a purchase.
Non-EPEAT items are not available for purchase through eBuy. A product search is available on the EPEAT registry. For exceptions, a non-EPEAT item must be purchased through an ePro requisition with an explanation for approval.
Example: Dell UltraSharp U3415W 34-Inch Curved Monitor (Manufacturer Part # TYYGV)
- The following statement is displayed on CDW-G catalog’s landing page regarding the government’s requirement to meet EPEAT standards.
EPEAT – Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool has been mandated by the government to meet the EPEAT standards. This standard ensures the below product categories meet greener, high-performance, environmentally friendly guidelines.
- Monitors
- Printers
- Laptops/Desktops/Thin Clients (Non Apple)
Additionally, the Green Electronics Council has an EPEAT registry available to the public to check EPEAT-registered status prior to making a purchase. Criteria evaluated for EPEAT-registered items include energy efficiency, manufacturing chemicals, and preferable materials use.
If you would like to learn more about how to participate in or continue sustainable efforts by purchasing biobased, energy saving, and recycled items, please go to the Procurement & Property Department Sustainable Acquisition web page.
