Revised 23 August 2022

Criteria Modules by Sustainability Impact
The Global Electronics Council (GEC) is undertaking a multi-year initiative to revise its EPEAT
criteria for its Type 1 ecolabel to align with priority sustainability impacts of electronic products
and their supply chains, including Climate Change Mitigation, Sustainable Use of Resources (orCircularity), Reduction of Chemicals of Concern, and Corporate ESG Performance. Whencomplete, these “modular” criteria will be applied across all EPEAT product categories, including
Computers and Displays, Mobile Phones, Imaging Equipment, Servers, Televisions andNetwork Equipment.
GEC seeks involvement from all interested and materially affected stakeholders, including
industry, government policy, purchasers, NGOs, and academics. Since EPEAT is used globally,
GEC welcomes participation from stakeholders around the world to ensure global relevance ofcriteria.

How Will the Criteria Be Developed?
Criteria will be developed using GEC’s new Dynamic Criteria Development Process, which aims
to expand stakeholder engagement through a streamlined process with multiple opportunities
for engagement. Each of the four sustainability impact modules will be a separate criteria
development project to enable maximum engagement of stakeholders and allow experts toengage in the process on topics that align with their areas of expertise. The policies governing
GEC’s Criteria Development Process (P74) are publicly available.
The graphic below illustrates the steps in the criteria development process. Table 1 outlines themultiple options for stakeholder participation in each sustainability impact module, what isexpected of participants, and how to get involved. Stakeholders can choose how they would liketo participate, and in which sustainability impact modules. The anticipated timeline for eachsustainability impact module is also provided below.

Steps in GEC’s Criteria Development Process

www.globalelectronicscouncil.org

Page 1|7

Revised 23 August 2022

Table 1: Stakeholder Participation Options
Participation Option

What Is Expected?

How to Get Involved

Public Comment on theDraft State ofSustainability Research.
The State of Sustainability
Research is an analysis ofavailable science and dataon the life cycle impacts forthe topic, and strategies toreduce these impacts. This
research is the foundation
for criteria development.

Interested stakeholders cansubmit public comments on
any aspects of the research,
as well as submit additional
data for consideration forinclusion in the researchdocument. The publiccomment period is open for
30 days.

Stakeholders are notified of the releaseof draft State of Sustainability Researchthrough the GEC newsletter and on theEPEAT Announcements webpage(https://epeat.net/announcements).

Expert Ad Hoc Groups.
Multi-stakeholder group ofindividuals with expertise ona specific topic(s). Expert Ad
Hoc Groups serve in anadvisory capacity to review
and draft criteria to address
the sustainability impacts.

Active participation in thereview and drafting of criteria.
Expert Ad Hoc Groups areexpected to convene for 8–12
weeks by conference call,generally every 2 weeks.
Calls are scheduled toaccommodate the different
time zones of participants.
Electronic discussion andsubmission of comments is
also used as needed and toaddress time zone
challenges.

Stakeholders are notified when Expert
Ad Hoc Groups are being formed
through the GEC newsletter and on theEPEAT Announcements webpage(https://epeat.net/announcements).

Technical Committee. The
Technical Committee is thevoluntary consensus body.
The Technical Committee
debates the merits andeffectiveness of proposed
criteria to ensure the criteria
address priority
sustainability impacts
identified in the State ofSustainability Research withthe goal of moving theindustry and its supply chain
to innovate and adopt bestpractices that achieve

Each Technical Committee isexpected to convene for 7 12 months. TechnicalCommittee meetings will
occur monthly via
teleconference.

GEC is partnering with NSF
International, an organization withextensive expertise in managing
voluntary consensus processes, toconvene and manage the TechnicalCommittee.

Voting members areexpected to review
documents in advance ofmeetings, provide comments
on criteria and activelyengage in discussion (eitheron calls or by electronicmeans), and participate in the

Voting membership on the TechnicalCommittee is open to all interestedparties by submitting the TechnicalCommittee Application Form. To
participate as an Observer,
stakeholders should contact NSF at
GBaragar@nsf.org.

www.globalelectronicscouncil.org

Stakeholders can also request to be
added to the “interested stakeholder”
list to receive direct notification byemail. To receive direct email
notifications, send an email toCriteria@GlobalElectronicsCouncil.org.

Stakeholders can also request to be
added to the “interested stakeholder”
list to receive direct notification byemail. To receive direct email
notifications, send an email to
Criteria@GlobalElectronicsCouncil.org.

Page 2|7

Revised 23 August 2022

Participation Option

What Is Expected?

credible, verifiablereductions in sustainability
impacts and increasetransparency. The TechnicalCommittee is made up of up
to 21 voting members,
representing a balance of
stakeholder interests, andobservers.

ballot process to approve
criteria and reconcile
stakeholder differences.

Public Comment on Draft
Criteria.
The full draft of criteria foreach sustainability impact
module are available forpublic comment. There are
2 opportunities to submit
public comments:
1) The full draft criteria
document is madeavailable for publiccomment, concurrent
with its release to theTechnical Committee.
This initial publiccomment period is openfor 60 days.
2) Revisions made to thefull draft criteria
document by theTechnical Committee,based on comments
received, are open for
public comment for 30
days. The 2nd publiccomment is limited tochanges made to theinitial draft.

Interested stakeholders cansubmit public comments on
the draft criteria. The 1st
public comment period isopen for 60 days. The 2nd
public comment period is
open for 30 days.

How to Get Involved

Observer status allows
individuals to attend
Technical Committee
meetings and receive
documents provided to theTechnical Committee.

www.globalelectronicscouncil.org

Stakeholders are notified of the releaseof the draft for public comment throughthe GEC newsletter and on the EPEAT
Announcements webpage(https://epeat.net/announcements).
Stakeholders can also request to be
added to the “interested stakeholder”
list to receive direct notification byemail. To receive direct email
notifications, send an email toCriteria@GlobalElectronicsCouncil.org

Page 3|7

Revised 23 August 2022

What Topics Will Be Covered in Each Sustainability Impact Module?

Climate Change
Mitigation

Sustainable Use ofResources(Circularity)

Corporate ESG
Performance

Reduction inChemicals✓ Reducing embodied
carbon throughmanufacturing
energy efficiency
and renewableelectricity sourcing✓ Product energy
efficiency✓ Reduction of highglobal warming
potential chemicals
in manufacturing✓ Carbon footprint
analysis, reduction
and transparency✓ Recycled content inproduct andpackaging✓ Critical minerals andrare earth elements✓ Design for repair,reuse and recycling✓ Product longevity
and repairability✓ Responsible end-oflife management✓ Water use efficiency
and transparency✓ Reducing supply
chain manufacturingwaste✓ Social performanceand auditing of labor,human rights andworker health andsafety in the supply
chain✓ Responsible mineralsourcing✓ Environmental
management
systems✓✓ Reduction inhazardous
substances in theproduct✓ Chemical substanceinventory andtransparency✓ Alternatives
assessment toidentify safer
substances✓ Manufacturing
process chemicals

In addition to above sustainability impact modules that will apply across EPEAT productcategories, GEC will consider product-specific criteria for product energy efficiency and imaging
equipment consumables, applying the same criteria development process outlined above.
Criteria for imaging equipment consumables will focus on reducing the life cycle sustainability
impacts of consumables -- specifically ink and toner cartridges/containers and paper use -relative to the footprint of imaging equipment devices, including business practices and designof the imaging equipment device to enable circularity.

www.globalelectronicscouncil.org

Page 4|7

Revised 23 August 2022

What is the Timeline for the Developing Criteria for the Sustainability Impact
Modules?
Sustainability
Impact Module

Stakeholder Engagement

Schedule• April 7–May 7, 2021

Climate ChangeMitigation• Public comment on State of
Sustainability Research• Expert Ad Hoc Groups• Technical Committee• 1st Public comment on draft criteria• 2nd Public comment on draft criteria• Publication of final criteria

Sustainable Use ofResources(Circularity)• Public comment on State of
Sustainability Research• Expert Ad Hoc Groups• Technical Committee• 1st Public comment on draft criteria• 2nd Public comment on draft criteria• Publication of final criteria• September 13–October 13,2021• December 2021–April 2022
• May 2022–July 2023*• May 18–July 18, 2022
• April/May 2023*• August 2023*• November 10–January 7, 2022

Reduction ofChemicals• Public comment on State of
Sustainability Research• Expert Ad Hoc Groups• Technical Committee• 1st Public comment on draft criteria• 2nd Public comment on draft criteria• Publication of final criteria• Public comment on State of
Sustainability Research• Expert Ad Hoc Groups• Technical Committee• 1st Public comment on draft criteria• March 14–May 14, 2022

Corporate ESG
Performance• 2nd Public comment on draft criteria• Publication of final criteria

Product-Specific
Criteria: Imaging
Equipment
Consumables• Public comment on State ofSustainability Research• Expert Ad Hoc Groups• Technical Committee• 1st Public comment on draft criteria• 2nd Public comment on draft criteria

www.globalelectronicscouncil.org

••
•
•
•

•
•
•
•
•

June–August 2021
October 2021–December 2022*
October 6–December 6, 2021
Late August–September 2022*
January 2023*

March–June 2022
July 2022–May 2023*
July 13–September 12, 2022
March/April 2023*
June 2023*• July–September 2022
• October 2022–August 2023*• Early November 2022–earlyJanuary 2023*• May/June 2023*• September 2023*• August 18–October 18, 2022••••

October–December 2022
January–August 2023*
January–February 2023*
June 2023*

Page 5|7

Revised 23 August 2022

Sustainability
Impact Module

Product-Specific
Criteria: Product
Energy Efficiency**

Stakeholder Engagement

Schedule• Publication of final criteria• September 2023*• Public comment on State ofSustainability Research***• Expert Ad Hoc Groups• Technical Committee• 1st Public comment on draft criteria• 2nd Public comment on draft criteria• Publication of final criteria• See Climate Change Mitigation•••••

September–December 2022
January–June 2023*
January–February 2023*
May 2023*
July 2023**Anticipated timeframes, based on process requirements and number/complexity of criteria** Criteria are in addition to product energy efficiency criteria in Climate Change Mitigation module***Product energy efficiency was addressed in the Climate Change Mitigation research.

What is the Timeline for Implementing Sustainability Impact Modules in EPEAT?
Previous versions of this document included a timeline for implementation. This version omits
the timeline as it is under revision. Since May, GEC has been engaging with stakeholders tosolicit their feedback on the transition schedule for replacing existing criteria with the revised
criteria by sustainability impact and launching the public EPEAT Registry. The transition planand timeline will be finalized in October and made publicly available. This document will beupdated at that time.

About GECThe Global Electronics Council (GEC) is a non-profit that leverages large-scale purchasing
power, both public and private sector, as a demand driver for more sustainable technology. By
deciding to buy sustainable technology, institutional purchasers can “move the needle” toward amore sustainable world. GEC also helps manufacturers understand the sustainability impacts of
their technology, commit to address those impacts, and act to change operational, supply
chain, and procurement behaviors. GEC is the manager of the ecolabel EPEAT®, used bymore purchasers of electronics than any other ecolabel worldwide.
EPEAT is a comprehensive voluntary sustainability ecolabel that helps purchasers identify
more sustainable electronic products that have superior environmental and social performance.
EPEAT establishes criteria that address priority sustainability impacts throughout the life cycleof the product, based on an evaluation of scientific evidence and international best practices.

www.globalelectronicscouncil.org

Page 6|7

Revised 23 August 2022

Contact Information
Ms. Erica Logan
Director, Sustainability Impact Criteria
ELogan@GEC.org
Ms. Patricia Dillon
Vice President, Criteria & Category Development
PDillon@GEC.org

www.globalelectronicscouncil.org

Page 7|7