EPEAT Program
Continuous Monitoring Outcomes Report
Photovoltaic Modules and Inverters
PVMI-2021-02
February 11, 2022

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 arerequired 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 major nonconformances and the actions taken to restore accuracyof the EPEAT Registry.
This document summarizes the activities and results of Continuous Monitoring Round PVMI-2021-02
conducted for the Photovoltaic Modules and Inverters product category.

2.0 Overview of Continuous Monitoring Round PVMI-2021-02
2.1

Investigation Activities

As per the published Round Plan, Continuous Monitoring Round PVMI-2021-02 used Level 1 Investigations(documentation review activities to determine Participating Manufacturers’ conformance with specific EPEAT
Criteria). Participating Manufacturers had a discrete time period to provide their CABs with evidence
supporting conformance with the selected EPEAT Criteria. GEC-approved CABs reviewed the documentation,
made recommendations on conformity based solely on the evidence provided by Participating Manufacturers,
and sent Investigation Reports to the EPEAT Program. The EPEAT Program made the final decisions on
conformity for the Investigations.

Global Electronics Council

Outcomes Report – Level 1 Investigations (P41B Issue2 Rev0)

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PVMI-2021-02 Outcomes Report

2.2

February 11, 2022

Criteria InvestigatedContinuous Monitoring Round PVMI-2021-02 focused on two Criteria which require an understanding of issue
areas and concepts that are relatively new to the EPEAT Program. There is currently only one PVMI
Participating Manufacturer and this manufacturer was assigned one investigation for each Criterion. The
products were selected randomly using a random number generator.
Table 1: Criteria Investigated in Round PVMI-2021-02
Criteria Number

Criterion Title

5.1.5

Alternatives assessment

8.2.1

Water inventory

3.0 Summary of Investigations and Final Decisions on Conformity for PVMI-2021-02
Highlights from this Continuous Monitoring Round are:•2 investigations completed•

2 decisions of Conformance

4.0 Further Details on Nonconformances for PVMI-2021-02
All nonconformances must be categorized as either major or minor. Minor nonconformances are non-criticalor clerical in nature and do not materially affect the validity of conformance with EPEAT Criteria. Allnonconformances that do not meet the definition of minor are categorized as major.
There were no nonconformances of any kind identified in Continuous Monitoring Round PVMI-2021-02.

5.0 Actions to Restore Conformance
Where the final conformity decision is nonconformance (whether major or minor), Participating Manufacturers
must make corrections to restore the accuracy of the EPEAT Registry during the Corrective Action Phase. Theseactivities may include providing additional evidence to demonstrate conformance with the criterion or
unselecting the criteria in the EPEAT Registry. Where the product was found nonconformant 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 were identified in this Round, no corrective actions were taken.

Global Electronics Council

Outcomes Report – Level 1 Investigations (P41B Issue2 Rev0)

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PVMI-2021-02 Outcomes ReportFebruary 11, 2022

6.0 Key Findings
6.1

Substance Selection for Alternatives Assessment

Criterion 5.1.5 requires Participating Manufacturers to document that it, a supplier, or an independent thirdparty has performed an alternatives assessment on at least one substance of concern included in the productor manufacturing process as documented in Section 5.1.1 – List of declarable substances. Manufacturers must
consider exposure and risk throughout the product life cycle as part of the substance selection process. It is
helpful for Participating Manufacturers to identify all aspects of the Criterion, including this consideration,
when submitting evidence and reviewing this Criterion with their conformity assurance body.

Global Electronics Council

Outcomes Report – Level 1 Investigations (P41B Issue2 Rev0)

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PVMI-2021-02 Outcomes ReportFebruary 11, 2022

Document Control and Change History
Issue1Revision01120Owner
EPEAT Conformity
Assurance Manager
EPEAT Conformity
Assurance Manager
Senior Manager,
Ecolabels andResources

Global Electronics Council

ApproverDirector, EPEAT
ProgramDirector, EPEAT
Program
Senior Director,
Ecolabels andManufacturer
Resources

Description
Initial release

Reformatting of document. Addition ofstandardized text.

Outcomes Report – Level 1 Investigations (P41B Issue2 Rev0)

Approval Date

Effective Date2018 Dec 112018 Dec 112021 Mar 25

2021 Mar 30

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