Green Electronics Council
Registry Services Department

Verification Round Plan

P42Issue 1 Rev 1

Green Electronics Council
227 SW Pine Street, Suite 300 • Portland, OR 97204 • V: (503) 279-9382 • F: (503) 279-9381 • www.epeat.net

PLAN FOR VERIFICATION ROUND PC-2017-04
PCs and Displays / IEEE 1680.1
July 2017
I.

PURPOSE AND CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT

This document outlines the plan for a Verification Round of Investigations to be performed inaccordance P15 Verification Procedure, this Verification Plan, and EPEAT scheme rules.

II.

SELECTION OF CRITERIA AND PRODUCTS FOR VERIFICATION

Verification Round PC-2017-04 will investigate randomly chosen criteria from IEEE 1680.1 and randomly
chosen products. Sixty-nine (69) Level 0 and Level 1 investigations are planned for this Round. Level 0and Level 1 investigations may be launched based on which criteria are randomly chosen. In a Level 0
investigation, an Auditor assesses Conformance to a criterion by examining publicly available
information only – no products are obtained for inspection or testing, and the Manufacturer is not asked
to submit documentation. If the publicly available information is inconclusive (i.e. was not available,could not be found from public sources, or did not provide enough details to determine conformance),
the Auditor may be instructed to proceed with a Level 1 investigation. In Level 1 investigations, anAuditor assesses Conformance to a criterion by examining information submitted by a Manufacturer.
The Manufacturer is required to provide detailed and accurate information in a 60-day period.
The products and criteria will be selected as follows:All products that are currently active in the Registry are eligible for inclusion, and will be chosen
first through a random selection process.
All criteria are eligible for inclusion, and will be chosen randomly for each selected product.
All geographies and Manufacturers are eligible for inclusion.
Exception is as follows: If a criterion is randomly selected for a product and that product has
been investigated against that criterion in the last six months, a new criterion will be randomly
selected for the product.
No Manufacturer will be subject to more than 5 investigations during this Round.

Exclusions: Criteria relating to plastics marking (4.3.1.4 and 4.3.2.2) will be excluded due to last year’s
amendment to the 1043 marking standard.

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Products will be selected according to the process outlined below:
Selection Process:Step 1

Step 2

Step 3III.

A list of all active products will be pulledfrom the EPEAT Registry. Criteria 4.3.1.4
and 4.3.2.2 will be removed from the list.
Products and criteria will be selected atrandom until 69 investigations areassigned.
A check will be performed that specificproducts chosen were not verified for thechosen criteria within the past six months

Notes:

Criteria relating to plastics marking(4.3.1.4 and 4.3.2.2) will be excluded
due to last year’s amendment to the1043 marking standard.
No manufacturer will recieve more than
5 investigations during this round.

A specific criterion on a specific productmay not be verified more than once
every six months.

VERIFICATION PROCESSSThe Verification Round will proceed in accordance with current procedures, as outlined below.
Level 0 Investigations:
1. The EPEAT Scheme will take a “snapshot” of the Registry, from which products will be selected forinvestigation.
2. The EPEAT Scheme will instruct Conformity Assurance Bodies (if applicable – see Section V) toproceed with the investigations.
3. Conformity Assurance Bodies will assign investigations to (an) Auditor(s). The Auditor(s) will NOT
notify the subject Manufacturers that their products are being investigated at this time.
4. The Auditors will perform the investigations as assigned within the allotted time, and prepare an
Investigation Report for each investigation, recommending conformance or inconclusive based on
publicly available data.
5. Conformity Assurance Bodies will review all Investigation Reports to ensure they are clear andcomplete and the evidence supports the recommendation, and will forward the Report and supporting
evidence to the EPEAT Scheme. At the same time, Conformity Assurance Body will forward the draft
Reports (without the final conformance decision) to the subject Manufacturers.
6. The Conformity Decision Panel or a GEC Conformity Assurance staff member will review the reports
and make a decision regarding conformity. The identity of the products and Manufacturers will not be
disclosed to the Conformity Decision Panel or the GEC Conformity Assurance staff member. TheConformity Decision Panel or the GEC Conformity Assurance staff member will be blind to the specificproducts and Manufacturers for which they are making conformity decisions.
7. In the case of a finding of inconclusive, the EPEAT Scheme will launch a Level 1 investigation. The
Verification Process for Level 1 investigations can be seen below.
8. Conformity Assurance Bodies will inform the subject Manufacturers of the Conformity Decision Panelor GEC Conformity Assurance staff member’s conformity decision. For decisions of Non‐Conformance,Verification Round Plan PC-2017-04
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Manufacturers will be required to take corrective action within 14 calendar days to restore the accuracyof the declaration in the EPEAT Registry.
Level 1 Investigations:
1. The EPEAT Scheme will use the “snapshot” of the Registry taken for the Level 0 investigations.
2. The EPEAT Scheme will instruct Conformity Assurance Bodies (if applicable – see Section V) toproceed with the investigations.
3. Conformity Assurance Bodies will assign investigations to (an) Auditor(s), and will notify the subjectManufacturers that their products are being investigated.
4. The EPEAT Scheme will publish the Verification Round Plan on epeat.net.
5. The Auditors will perform the investigations as assigned within 60 calendar days, and prepare an
Investigation Report for each investigation, recommending conformance or nonconformance.
6. Conformity Assurance Bodies will review all Investigation Reports to ensure they are clear andcomplete and the evidence supports the recommendation, and will forward the Report and supporting
evidence to the EPEAT Scheme. At the same time, Conformity Assurance Body will forward the draftReports (without the final conformance decision) to the subject Manufacturers.
7. The Conformity Decision Panel or a GEC Conformity Assurance staff member will review the reports
and make a decision regarding conformity. The identity of the products and Manufacturers will not be
disclosed to the Conformity Decision Panel or the GEC Conformity Assurance staff member. TheConformity Decision Panel or the GEC Conformity Assurance staff member will be blind to the specificproducts and Manufacturers for which they are making conformity decisions.
8. Conformity Assurance Bodies will inform the subject Manufacturers of the Conformity Decision Panelor the GEC Conformity Assurance staff member’s conformity decision. For decisions of Non‐Conformance, Manufacturers will be required to take corrective action within 14 calendar days torestore the accuracy of the declaration in the EPEAT Registry.
9. The EPEAT Scheme will publish a "Verification Round Outcomes Report" identifying thenonconforming products and Manufacturers, as well as the action taken to restore accuracy of thedeclarations in the Registry.

IV.

CONFORMITY DECISION PANEL

The following individuals are the members of the Conformity Decision Panel:V.

Libby Chaplin, CEO, Arcadian Solutions
Jack Geibig, President, Ecoform
Robert Pfahl, Pfahl Consulting L.L.C.
Annette Roesler, Ph.D., Independent Professional Chemist

CONFORMITY ASSURANCE BODIES AND AUDITORSAll investigations will be conducted through Conformity Assurance Bodies approved by the Green
Electronics Council. The following Conformity Assurance Bodies may be involved in Investigations forthis Verification Round: DEKRA GEC
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Intertek
TuV Rheinland
ULEVERIFICATION ROUND PLAN APPROVALThis Verification Round Plan was approved by discussion and/or email on July 14, 2017.

VII.

SUMMARY OF PC-2017-04 PLANNED INVESTIGATIONS

Criterion
TBD# Planned
Investigations
69

Verification Selection and Process

Products and criteria randomly chosen.
Investigations may be Level 0 or Level 1 depending on criteria chosen.
Criteria 4.3.1.4 and 4.3.2.2 have been excluded.
Total

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