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 IE-2018-01
1. Overview of Verification Round
Verification Round IE-2018-01 included 21 Level 2 / 3 lab tests on 3 products. These products wererandomly chosen from a list of manufacturers that had not yet had products Level 2 / 3 lab tested.
Criteria were chosen from the list below.
Criterion
4.1.1.1
4.1.2.1
4.1.4.1
4.1.6.1
4.3.1.1
4.3.1.2
4.3.2.1
4.3.2.2
4.8.1.1
4.8.2.1
4.8.2.2

Description of Criterion
Required – Compliance with provisions of European Union RoHS
Directive
Optional – Further reduction of the use of EU RoHS Directive
hazardous substances (cadmium)
Optional – Reduction of substances on the EU REACH Candidate
List of SVHCs
Required – Reducing BFR/CFR/CDP content of external plasticcasings
Required – Ease of disassembly of productOptional – Ease of disassembly of consumer products
Required – Use of single recyclable plastic type per plastic part
Required – Restriction on materials not compatible with reuse
and recycling
Required – Elimination of intentionally added heavy metals inpackaging
Required – Separable packing materials
Optional – Packaging 90% compostable/recyclable

Level 2
X

Level 3
X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
X
X
X
X

X

X
X

2. Summary of Outcomes
21 investigations completed
1 Decision of Nonconformance
19 Decisions of Conformance
1 Decision of Inconclusive

Outcomes Report
EPEAT Verification Round IE-2018-01

Page 1February 2019

Chart 1: Overall Conformance Rate for IE2019-01 (as a percentage of total
investigations
5%5%90%ConformanceNonconformance

Inconclusive

Chart 2: Reasons for Nonconformance
100%90%80%Demonstrated nonconformance

70%
60%

50%

140%
30%

Insufficient documentation
to demonstrateconformance
No documentation provided

20%
10%0%

3. Key Lessons
4.1.1.1 Required – Compliance with provisions of European Union RoHS Directive
This criterion requires compliance the European Union RoHS Directive, which lists several
exemptions. Manufacturers must ensure that components do not exceed RoHS thresholds for
restricted substances unless an exemption can be claimed.

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 under “Help and FAQ” in your EPEAT Registry Account.

Outcomes Report
EPEAT Verification Round IE-2018-01

Page 2February 2019

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 orto 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 be
prepared 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:
Four verification rounds for Imaging Equipment are planned for 2019.
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 under “Help and FAQ” in your EPEAT Registry
account.

Outcomes Report
EPEAT Verification Round IE-2018-01

Page 3February 2019

6. Investigations Table

TABLE 1: Specific Non-Conformance Findings and Corrective Action Taken
Participating
Manufacturer

ProductCountry

Product Type

Criterion

Requiredor Optional

Criterion Description

NC Finding Description

Corrective Action Taken

BrotherInternationalCorporation

DCP-L2540DW

UnitedStates

Multifunction
Device (MFD)

4.1.1.1

RequiredCompliance withprovisions of European
Union RoHS DirectiveDemonstrated NC

If NC due todemonstrated nonconformance,Manufacturer provided
evidence of changes
made resulting inconformance.

Outcomes Report
EPEAT Verification Round IE-2018-01

Page 4February 2019

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 aregiven 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 aConformity 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 aLevel 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 theManufacturer’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.

Outcomes Report
EPEAT Verification Round IE-2018-01

Page 5February 2019