Environmentally friendly computers are in vogue, but no one is really pushing the envelope
Several months ago, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers began accepting approvals for IEEE 1680, also known as "Standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products."
IEEE 1680 evaluates the environmental sanity of computer products based on eight categories: materials selection, environmentally sensitive materials, design for
end of life, end-of-life management, energy conservation, product
longevity and life-cycle extension, packaging, and corporate performance. Computer products are then compiled into a database called the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) where the public can evaluate how each product rates on a 25-point scale of eco-friendliness. IEEE 1680 consists of 23 required stipulations, and 25 optional stipulations. In order to be IEEE 1680 certified, all 23 of the required stipulations must be met, after which the manufacturer can earn a Silver certification if 50% of the optional stipulations are met, or a Gold certification if 75% of the optional requirements are met.
Since then, more than 60 technology-related manufacturers have adopted some level of IEEE 1680. The required criterion are very straight-forward: the product must declare its weight, the amount of recycled material (0% still gets you certified, just so long as its declared). Criterion 4.4.2.1 requires "Upgradeable with common tools" and 4.4.1.1 requires "Availability of additional three year warranty or service agreement." Unfortunately, all of the really big envelope-pushing requirements are optional. The elimination of intentionally added cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead and mercury are not required to get EPEAT certification. Furthermore, if manufacturers have enough optional points in such envelop-pushing criteria as "4.4.3.1 Availability of replacement parts," the manufacturer can earn a silver award on relatively modest, perhaps not even environmentally-intentional, specifications.
All Dell computers automatically get an extra two (out of twenty-five) on the EPEAT scale after the company announced its free PC recycling program. Any company merely complying with RoHS and the EU mandatory battery recycling program can earn a whopping 6 points out of the optional twenty-five. To add insult to injury, at the time of publication, not a single PC product meets the required 19 optional points to receive a gold EPEAT certification.
That being said, IEEE 1680 still is important for the US. For the most part, the US has no directives like the European RoHS, which restricts the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, PBB and PBDE in electronics.
New laws in California are already in the works to mandate things like mobile phone recycling. Nokia is researching prototype phones which are self destructible. When not in use anymore, the phones can be taken back to a factory and heated by lasers. The polymers in the phones react to the heat and break apart, making it easier for the factory to recycle individual parts. Every year, millions of working electronic devices that are simply obsolete or old end up at garbage sites. Analysts say Nokia is taking the right first steps and other companies should follow.
"Let's face it, we're not changing the world. We're building a product that helps people buy more crap - and watch porn." -- Seagate CEO Bill Watkins
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