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

OUTCOMES REPORTEPEAT VERIFICATION ROUND PC-2019-01
1. Overview of Verification Round
Verification Round PC-2019-01 investigated targeted criteria from the PC & Display: 2018 criteria. Fortytwo (42) Level 1 investigations were completed. In Level 1 investigations, an Auditor assesses
Conformance to a criterion by examining information submitted by a Manufacturer. The Manufacturer isrequired to provide detailed and accurate information in a 60-day period.
NOTE: The PC and Display criteria are in the process of being updated via an amendment process. Since
this process is not yet complete, criteria involved in that amendment process were not included in thisVerification Round.
The products and criteria were selected as follows:•All products currently active on the Registry were eligible for inclusion and were chosen firstthrough a random selection process.

•All geographies and Manufacturers were eligible for inclusion.

•Each Manufacturer was assigned at least one investigation. No Manufacturer was subject tomore than 13 investigations during this Round.

The following is a list of criteria which were included in this Verification Round:• 4.1.1.1 Required - Conformance with European Union ROHS Directive substance restrictions• 4.1.3.1 Required - Elimination of intentionally added mercury in light sources• 4.1.4.1 Optional - Restriction of the use of beryllium• 4.1.7.1 Required - Compliance with provisions of EU Battery Directive• 4.3.2.1 Required - Plastic parts compatible with recycling• 4.4.1.1 Required - Service support• 4.4.2.1 Required - Removal of external enclosure• 4.4.2.4 Required - Battery replacement and information• 4.4.2.5 Optional - Product upgradeability and repairability• 4.4.2.6 Optional - Removal of lithium ion batteries• 4.5.1.2 Required - Lowest Power Mode limit• 4.7.1.1 Required – Elimination of intentionally added heavy metals in packaging• 4.7.1.2 Required - Elimination of elemental chlorine as a bleaching agent in packaging material• 4.7.2.1 Required - Separable packaging material• 4.7.2.2 Required - Plastics marked in packaging materials• 4.7.3.1 Required - Recycled content in wood-based fiber packaging• 4.9.1.1 Required - Third party certified environmental management system (EMS) for designand manufacturing organizations
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4.9.2.1 Required - Corporate environmental performance reporting by manufacturer
4.10.2.1 Required - Public Disclosure regarding conflict minerals in products

Since this is the first ever Verification Round for the updated version of the PC and Display criteria, theManufacturer’s name will not be published for any Non-Conformances found.

2. Summary of Outcomes
The results from the first PC and Display Verification Round PC-2019-01 are:•42 Investigations were completed•

40 Decisions of Conformance•

2 Decisions of Non-Conformance

Of the 2 Decisions of Non-Conformance, one was considered a Major Non-Conformance and one wasconsidered a Minor Non-Conformance. Major Non-Conformances must be corrected within 30 days
while Minor Non-Conformances must have a plan created within 30 days and the correction must becomplete within 1 year. In both cases the Non-Conformances have already been corrected. Major nonconformances are raised for a complete breakdown or absence of a process, control, or aspect of themanagement system. Minor non-conformances are raised for non-critical instances where a process is
not followed, or a control is not effective.

Results of PC-2019-01
5%95%

Conformance

Non-Conformance

3. Key Lessons
4.3.2.1 – Plastic parts compatible with recycling
This criterion requires plastic parts to be marked in accordance with ISO 11469/1043. All discreteparts greater than 25 grams must be marked appropriately in order to be conformant to thisRequired criterion.

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4.7.3.1 – Recycled content in wood-based fiber packaging
This criterion requires a declaration of the recycled content. If the declaration of recycled content isgreater than the actual content shown by the evidence provided, the declaration would not beconformant. While it is acceptable for the declared recycled content to be less than the actual
recycled content, declaring a recycled content greater than the actual recycled content isunacceptable. Additionally, rounding should not be used when making a declaration of recycledcontent.

4. General Message to Manufacturers
Understanding documentation requirements for Verification Rounds:
You can find more guidance and examples of conformance documents in the Conformity Sample
Packets located in “Help & FAQ” under My Account. Go to epeat.net to log in.
Initial response to Auditors:
When contacted regarding participation in a Verification Round, Manufacturers should respond tothe Auditor as soon as possible to let them know they are communicating with the correct person or
to inform them of the correct contact. This also helps the Auditor know that the e-mail address isvalid.
Conformance of products that may share similar traits and/or supply chains:
If a Non-Conformance is found for a particular criterion and product, Manufacturers should beprepared to determine if other products on the EPEAT Registry are similarly impacted due to use ofsimilar materials and/or supply chains, and develop corrective action plans to address the future
conformance of these other products.

5. Looking Forward
Plans for Future Verification Activities:
All Verification Round have been launched for 2019. During 2020, four Verification Rounds areexpected to be launched for PCs and Displays.
Conformity Sample Packets:
This and all future Verification Rounds have and will be conducted according to the guidance
provided in the Conformity Sample Packets posted on www.epeat.net under “Help & FAQ” in My
Account.

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6. Investigations Table
NOTE: Manufacturer names and product names not disclosed because this is the first Verification Round for the new criteria.
TABLE 1 Specific Non-Conformance Findings and Corrective Action Taken
Participating
Manufacturer

ProductCountry

Product Type

Criterion

Requiredor Optional

Criterion Description

NC Finding DescriptionCorrective Action Taken[Notdisclosed][Not disclosed]

MexicoIntegrated Desktop
Computer

4.3.2.1

Required

Plastic parts compatible withrecycling

Demonstrated nonconformance

Markings were corrected to be in accordancewith ISO 11469/1043[Notdisclosed][Not disclosed]

UnitedStatesMonitors

4.7.3.1

Required

Recycled content in woodbased fiber packaging

Demonstrated nonconformance

Declaration of recycled content was corrected
on EPEAT Registry for all affected products

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7. BackgroundTo assure the credibility of the EPEAT Registry, verification of the claims by Participating
Manufacturers are rigorous, independent and transparent. Verification is conducted according topolicies and procedures described in documents provided on www.epeat.net. Manufacturers are
given no forewarning that their products will be verified, and verification is performed based on thedeclarations as they are in the Registry at the time the Verification Round begins.
Investigations are performed by expert technical contractors called Auditors working for a
Conformity Assurance Body approved by the Green Electronics Council (GEC). Auditors are free ofconflicts of interest, and their recommended decisions are reviewed and finalized by the Conformity
Assurance staff of GEC. Decisions of conformity are made blind to the identity of the products andcompanies they are judging, based only on evidence collected and analyzed by Auditors. A serious
consequence of receiving a Major Non-Conformance is that it is published publicly in an Outcomes
Report, for purchasers, competitors, and others to see.
•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 theManufacturer is not asked to submit documentation. If the publicly available information isinconclusive (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 a Level 1 investigation, an Auditor assess Conformance to a criterion by examining
information submitted by a Manufacturer. The Manufacturer is required to provide detailed andaccurate information in a timely manner.

•In Level 2 investigations, the Conformity Assurance Body obtains a product without the
Manufacturer’s knowledge or involvement, and has the product disassembled and inspected toassess conformance with one or more criteria.

•In Level 3 investigations, the Conformity Assurance Body obtains a product without the
Manufacturer’s knowledge or involvement, and has the product analytically tested to assess
conformance with one or more criteria.

Manufacturers must correct Non-Conformances, either by bringing the product into Conformance,by un-declaring the criterion until Conformance is achieved, or by removing the product from theRegistry. The Green Electronics Council also requires that Manufacturers examine other registeredproducts to determine if their declarations should be corrected as well. If a Manufacturer corrects
the Non-Conformance by un-declaring the criterion and the criterion is an optional criterion, theylose that point, and possibly the product drops a tier. If it is a required criterion, they must archive
the product. If it is a required corporate criterion, they must archive all of their registered products.
Major Non-Conformances are raised for a complete breakdown or absence of a process, control, or
aspect of the management system.
Minor Non-Conformances are raised for non-critical instances where a process is not followed, or acontrol is not effective.

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