EPEAT Program
Continuous Monitoring Round Plan
Computers and Displays
CD-2023-01
December 16, 2022
BackgroundEPEAT® is a comprehensive voluntary sustainability Type 1 ecolabel that helps purchasers identify sustainable
technology products and services. Central to EPEAT are conformity assurance activities that meet the technicalrigor and credibility needs of the institutional purchasers who rely upon EPEAT. The EPEAT Program ensures
the ongoing conformance of EPEAT-registered products through an ongoing surveillance process known asContinuous Monitoring. Continuous Monitoring activities occur throughout the year and test the ability ofParticipating Manufacturers to prove conformance with EPEAT Criteria on an ongoing basis.
Some Continuous Monitoring activities require that Investigations be conducted in discrete timeframes calledRounds. The EPEAT Program develops an individual plan for each Continuous Monitoring Round, which
specifies the EPEAT Criteria to be investigated, the method of investigation that GEC-approved Conformity
Assurance Bodies (CABs) must use and the specific dates when the Investigation activities must be completed.
The EPEAT Program also selects the Participating Manufacturers and EPEAT-registered products and assigns
Investigations to CABs, which must fully participate in and are responsible for implementing Continuous
Monitoring Round activities with their Participating Manufacturer clients. Participating Manufacturers are
required to cooperate fully with their GEC-approved CAB during Round activities.
This document contains the individual plan for Continuous Monitoring Round CD-2023-01.

Continuous Monitoring Round CD-2023-01 Investigation Activities
Continuous Monitoring Round CD-2023-01 will use laboratory evaluation of products to determine theconformance of products with specific EPEAT Criteria. GEC-approved CABs obtain the products, as identified by
the EPEAT Program, from the open market without involvement of the Participating Manufacturers, wherepossible, and send them for laboratory evaluation. The laboratories evaluate the products against the specified
Criteria and produce reports summarizing the activities conducted and the results. GEC-approved CABs thenreview the reports, make recommendations on conformity and send the reports to the EPEAT Program, whichmakes the final decisions on conformity.

Continuous Monitoring Round CD-2023-01 Criteria and Product Selection
Continuous Monitoring Round CD-2023-01 will focus on chemicals of concern. The production of electronics
often involves over 500 chemicals, while electronic devices potentially contain up to 84% of all known stablechemical elements. Chemicals in electronic products and processes serve important technical functions,however they are sometimes used without full knowledge of their environmental or human health hazards.
These chemicals can present risks of exposure throughout the product’s life cycle—and toxic chemicals used increating electronics can cause serious health issues, including cancer, nerve damage, and reproductive issues.
Once released into the environment, hazardous chemicals can also change soil or water, ultimately leading tothe loss of plant or animal life.

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In the electronics industry, chemicals of concern remain an on-going challenge as the industry seeks safer andmore sustainable alternatives for hazardous chemical substances. Manufacturers can better prepare for andlessen their risk of supply chain interruptions and high switching costs associated with regulatory restrictions
by having greater clarity into the contents of their devices. Minimizing the use of hazardous chemicals inelectronics and embracing safer alternatives is critical to achieving sustainable consumption and production.
Given the global nature of electronics value chains and the potential reach of problematic chemicals, the socialand economic burden of chemicals of concern in electronics is not confined to certain people or places related
to manufacturing or use—their potential impact can be global in scale, and for this reason, the EPEAT Program
selected criteria which address chemicals of concern for investigation in this Round.
Products are randomly selected (using a random number generator) from a list of Participating Manufacturers.
Each product is investigated for the criteria identified in the table below, however if a product has not selecteda criterion, that criterion is not investigated.

Overview of Criteria and Products Selected
Product Category

Computers and Displays

Number of Products Selected

6Criteria Selected

4.1.1.1—Conformance with European Union RoHS Directive substance restrictions
4.1.4.1—Restriction of the use of beryllium
4.1.5.1—Reduction of bromine and chlorine content in plastic parts >25 g
4.1.5.2—Further reduction of bromine and chlorine content of plastic materials
4.1.7.1—Compliance with provisions of EU Battery Directive
4.7.1.1—Elimination of intentionally added heavy metals in packaging

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Continuous Monitoring Round CD-2023-01 Schedule
Phase of RoundDatePreparation Phase
CABs notified of Round schedule and activities by EPEAT

December 16, 2022

CABs receive Round assignments and materials from EPEAT

December 16, 2022

Week of Round Training for CABs

Week of January 9, 2023

Investigation Phase (CABs performing investigations)
Investigative period begins

January 16, 2023

Investigative period ends

June 15, 2023

Deadline for CAB submission of Investigation Reports and laboratory reports to EPEAT

June 29, 2023

Deliberation Phase (EPEAT making conformity decisions)
Deliberation period begins

June 30, 2023

CABs receive Investigation Reports with final conformity decisions from EPEAT

August 14, 2023

Corrective Action Phase (for nonconformances, Participating Manufacturers restoring accuracy of EPEAT Registry)
Corrective action period begins

August 21, 2023

Corrective action period ends

September 20, 2023

Deadline for CAB submission of corrective action reports to EPEAT

October 4, 2023

CABs receive final Investigation Reports with correction decisions from EPEAT

October 18, 2023

Reporting Phase
Outcomes Report published

November 1, 2023

Process Details – Continuous Monitoring Using Laboratory Evaluation
Continuous Monitoring Rounds that use laboratory evaluation of products are conducted in accordance withEPEAT Policy Manual (P65) and EPEAT Conformity Assurance Implementation Requirements (also called EPEAT
Requirements of CABs and Conformity Assurance Procedures) (P66) in effect at the time of the Round.
•The EPEAT Program downloads a list of all active EPEAT-registered products, selects products from thelist for investigation and assigns EPEAT Criteria to the products, as per the Round Plan.

•GEC-approved CABs receive the list of products and EPEAT Criteria selected for their Participating
Manufacturer clients but do not yet notify the Participating Manufacturers of the imminent
investigations.

•The EPEAT Program publishes the Round Plan on the start date of the Round.

•GEC-approved CABs obtain products from the open market in the country specified by EPEAT without
involvement of the Participating Manufacturers, where possible1, and send them for evaluation by an1

A CAB may be unable to obtain a product in the market (e.g., some products are not commercially available or only sold throughcontracts). If unable to do so within 30 days of the start of the Round, the CAB product notifies the EPEAT Program and obtains theproduct directly from the Participating Manufacturer.

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ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. Only after obtaining the products do GEC-approved CABs notify theParticipating Manufacturers that their products have been selected for investigation.
•Laboratories evaluate the products against the specified Criteria and produce laboratory reportssummarizing the activities conducted and the results.

•GEC-approved CABs review the laboratory reports to ensure they are clear and complete and makerecommendations on conformity based on the evidence in each report. CABs also prepare anInvestigation Report for each product.

•GEC-approved CABs submit the Investigation Reports and laboratory reports to the EPEAT Program. At
the same time, CABs forward these same Reports to the Participating Manufacturers.

•The EPEAT Program reviews the Investigation Reports and laboratory reports and makes the final
decisions on conformity. The EPEAT Program then sends the Investigation Reports back to the GECapproved CABs.

•GEC-approved CABs send the Investigation Reports with the final decision on conformity and theaccompanying laboratory reports to the Participating Manufacturers.

•For final decisions of nonconformance, Participating Manufacturers must make corrections within 30
calendar days to restore the accuracy of the EPEAT Registry.

•The EPEAT Program publishes an Outcomes Report identifying the nonconforming products andParticipating Manufacturers, as well as the actions taken to restore accuracy of the EPEAT Registry.

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Document Control and Change History
Issue
1Revision011Owner
Sr Manager,
Ecolabels andResources
Senior Manager,
Ecolabels andResources

Global Electronics Council

ApproverDirector, EPEAT
ProgramDescription
Initial release

Approval Date
2020 Aug 20

Effective Date
2020 Aug 23

Senior Director,
Ecolabels andManufacturer
Resources

Updates throughout to match revisions toP66. Level 2/3 now called Level 2.
Addition of Preparation Phase to scheduletable.

2021 Feb 15

2021 Feb 18

Level 2 Continuous Monitoring Round Plan (P42A Issue1 Rev1)

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