Cell phone makers will soon be able to certify mobile phones with the EPEAT Registry, a product rating site originally formed out of a stakeholder process convened by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT Joint Certification will enable phones certified to the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) 110/ANSI to also be featured on the EPEAT Registry.
The certification comes from a partnership between UL Environment and the Green Electronics Council (GEC). It will be published as an ANSI standard on March 24, with the new mobile phone category on the EPEAT Registry following on July 1 for purchasers.
EPEAT rates electronics for environmental sustainability based not just on the energy use of the device during its life but also manufacturing, packaging, corporate practices, and end-of-life or extension-of-life practices.
“GEC is pleased to be partnering with UL Environment on the UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT Joint Certification,” said Nancy Gillis, CEO of the Green Electronics Council, in a statement. “There is significant pent-up purchaser demand for sustainable mobile phones. We are eager to feature mobile phones that meet the UL/ECOLOGO joint certification on the EPEAT Registry so institutional purchasers can continue to leverage their buying power to meet their organizations’ sustainability goals.”