EPEAT Program
Continuous Monitoring Outcomes Report
Mobile Phones
MP-2024-01
July 8, 2024

1.0 Background
EPEAT® 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.
To maintain the level of transparency relied on by purchasers, the EPEAT Program publishes an Outcomes
Report at the conclusion of each Round to summarize the activities conducted and to identify the products andParticipating Manufacturers that received nonconformances and the actions taken to restore accuracy of theEPEAT Registry.
This document summarizes the activities and results of Continuous Monitoring Round MP-2024-01 conducted
for the Mobile Phones category.

2.0 Overview of Continuous Monitoring Round MP-2024-01
2.1

Investigation Activities

As per the published Round Plan, Continuous Monitoring Round MP-2024-01 used Level 2 Investigations(laboratory evaluation of products to determine the products’ conformance with specific EPEAT Criteria). GECapproved CABs obtained the products, as identified by the EPEAT Program, from the open market without
involvement of the Participating Manufacturers, where possible, and sent them for laboratory evaluation. The
laboratories evaluated the products against the specified criteria and produced reports summarizing theactivities conducted and the results. GEC-approved CABs reviewed the reports, made recommendations on
conformity, and sent the reports to the EPEAT Program. The EPEAT Program made the final decisions on
conformity for the Investigations.

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MP-2024-01 Outcomes Report2.2

July 8, 2024

Criteria InvestigatedContinuous Monitoring Round MP-2024-01 focused on sustainable use of resources. The unsustainable use ofresources has triggered raw material scarcities, contributed to climate change, and caused widespreadenvironmental degradation with implications for, and negative impacts on, human health and ourenvironment. Globally, electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream. The United Nations attributes thisgrowth in e-waste to technological and product proliferation, along with shorter lifecycles and fewer repair
options.
Sustainable use of resources to enable a circular economy is a priority for government policy, institutionalpurchasers, and manufacturers worldwide. A circular economy is paramount for the electronics industry tobecome more sustainable and resilient. Circularity seeks to keep products in use for as long as possible,emphasizing durability, repairability, reuse, and the importance of recycling. To this end, criteria which focus
on circularity and sustainable use of resources were selected for investigation in this Round. When products orcomponents fail, the ability to repair and refurbish the product is essential to keeping it in service, and theproduct and packaging design should facilitate reuse and recycling.
Products are selected randomly 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.
Table 1: Criteria Investigated in Round MP-2024-01
Criteria NumberCriterion Title

11.3.1

Battery removability/replacement by qualified repair service providers or authorized repair providers

11.3.3

Battery removability/replacement without use of tools

11.4.1Ease of disassembling mobile phone

12.1.1

Use of recyclable fiber-based packaging materials

12.2.1

Separability and labeling of plastics in packaging

12.9.1

Improve packaging efficiency

3.0 Summary of Investigations and Final Decisions on Conformity for MP-2024-01
Highlights from this Continuous Monitoring Round are:•6 investigations completed•

6 decisions of Conformance

All investigations in Continuous Monitoring Round MP-2024-01 were conformant. No nonconformances wereidentified.

4.0 Further Details on Nonconformances for MP-2024-01
All nonconformances must be categorized as either a minor error, nonconformance, or nonconformance due
to CAB inaction or delay not attributable to the Participating Manufacturer. For Level 2 Investigations,nonconformances may be categorized as minor errors if a GEC-approved CAB is unable to obtain a productfrom the market and the Participating Manufacturer indicated the product has reached end-of-life and is no
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longer available on the market. All nonconformances that do not meet the definition of minor errors are
categorized as nonconformances (unless they are due to CAB inaction or delay).
No nonconformances or minor errors were identified in this Round.

5.0 Actions to Restore Conformance
Where the final conformity decision is nonconformance (including minor errors and those due to CAB inaction
or delay), Participating Manufacturers must make corrections to restore the accuracy of the EPEAT Registryduring the Corrective Action Phase. These activities may include providing additional evidence to demonstrate
conformance with the criterion or unselecting the criteria in the EPEAT Registry. Where the product was foundnonconformant and is no longer available in the marketplace, the product must be archived.
During the Corrective Action Phase, Participating Manufacturers must also develop Corrective Action Plans forother EPEAT-registered products that may be affected by the same underlying issue causing thenonconformance but were not the subject of investigation (called “similarly affected products”).
Since no nonconformances or minor errors were identified in this Round, no corrective actions were taken.

6.0 Key Findings
6.1

Scope of Criterion 12.2.1: Separability and labeling of plastics in packaging

The first part of required criterion 12.2.1 – Separability and labeling of plastics in packaging, applies to all
packaging components ≥25 g. Any packaging component over this weight threshold must be identified unless
exempted by the criterion (tape or labels affixed to plastic bags or wraps, staples, and top sheet adhered to
chipboard, corrugate or other paperboard, or films, coatings or adhesives).
6.2

Criterion 11.4.1 Ease of disassembling mobile phone

Participating Manufacturers are reminded that 11.4.1 requires the criterion to be met without causing
functional damage that would preclude re-use or refurbishment of the mobile phone.

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Document Control and Change History
Issue
1Revision
0Owner
EPEAT Conformity
Assurance Manager
EPEAT Conformity
Assurance Manager
Senior Manager,
Ecolabels andResources

11202

1Senior Manager,
Ecolabels andResources

22Senior Manager,
Ecolabels andResources

Global Electronics CouncilApprover
Director, EPEAT
ProgramDirector, EPEAT
Program
Senior Director,Ecolabels andManufacturer
Resources
Vice President,Ecolabels andManufacturer
Resources
Vice President,Ecolabels andManufacturer
Resources

Description
Initial release

Approval Date

Effective Date2018 Dec 112018 Dec 11

Reformatting of document. Addition ofstandardized text.

2021 Mar 25

2021 Mar 30

Updated terminology fornonconformances to include“nonconformances” and “minor errors”,
in alignment with revisions to P66.
Updated to reflect new nonconformance
category for CAB inaction or delay

2022 Sep 152022 Sep 30

2023 Mar 24

2023 Mar 24

Outcomes Report – Level 2 Investigations (P41A Issue2 Rev2)

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