February 28, 2017
Brands that certify their mobile phones to the UL 110 sustainability standard can efficiently register products in EPEAT, a rating system used by governmental and institutional purchasers worldwide.
Barcelona, Spain – Mobile World Congress – 28 February, 2017 – UL Environment, a business division of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a global safety science leader, and the Green Electronics Council (GEC), managers of the EPEAT program, today announced a collaboration enabling mobile phones certified to the ANSI/UL 110 sustainability standard to also be featured on the EPEAT Registry, which is used by public and private institutional purchasers globally to identify and buy sustainable IT products. The UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT Joint Certification is now available for brands that wish to certify mobile phones to the latest version of the UL 110 standard and make them eligible for procurements and tenders that require EPEAT-registered products.
The UL 110 standard will be published as an ANSI standard on March 24, 2017. A new mobile-phone category on the EPEAT Registry, based on the new UL 110 standard, is anticipated to be available to purchasers on 1 July.
Leading global brands and wireless service providers are committed to the upcoming EPEAT mobile phone category and the UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT Joint Certification process. Several of the world’s most popular mobile-phone brands have already begun the pre-assessment process for UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT Joint Certification, while wireless carriers worldwide have expressed interest in working with vendors to require phones that carry the UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT joint certification mark.
“GEC is pleased to be partnering with UL Environment on the UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT Joint Certification,” said Nancy Gillis, CEO of the Green Electronics Council. “There is significant pent-up purchaser demand for sustainable mobile phones. We are eager to feature mobile phones that meet the UL/ECOLOGO joint certification on the EPEAT Registry so institutional purchasers can continue to leverage their buying power to meet their organizations’ sustainability goals.”
“UL is excited that UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT Joint Certification meets the demand of manufacturers, purchasers and consumers to evaluate the health and sustainability of mobile phones,” said Alberto Uggetti, vice president and general manager, UL Environment. “UL 110, soon to be released as an ANSI standard, sets the criteria for the EPEAT mobile phone category and provides government and corporate purchasers a credible source for identifying and buying sustainable mobile phones.”
Mobile phones that earn the UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT joint certification mark will have achieved certification to a lifecycle-based standard specifically tailored for mobile phones and are subject to ongoing verification through EPEAT. This unprecedented combination of pre- and post-market auditing demonstrates to purchasers the enhanced credibility of brands’ sustainability claims.
UL Environment began the process of updating UL 110 in 2013, two years after a widely adopted draft standard debuted to establish lifecycle criteria for mobile phones. The updated multi-attribute standard addresses environmental criteria such as materials, packaging and energy use, as well as sustainability criteria such as end-of-life management and extension of useful life, manufacturing and operations, and corporate practices. More information about the standard development process, UL 110 criteria and the joint certification is available at www.ul.com/EPEAT.
About UL Environment
UL Environment works to advance global sustainability, environmental health, and safety by supporting the growth and development of environmentally preferable products, services, and organizations. We help companies achieve their sustainability goals — and help purchasers, specifiers, retailers, governments, and consumers find products they can trust. UL Environment offers environmental claim validations, multi-attribute product certifications, environmental product declarations, indoor air quality certification, product emissions testing, organizational sustainability certification, and consulting. For more information, visit https://industries.ul.com/environment, and connect with us via Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
About UL
UL fosters safe living and working conditions for people everywhere through the application of science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges. The UL Mark engenders trust enabling the safe adoption of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to make the world a safer place. We test, inspect, audit, certify, validate, verify, advise and train and we support these efforts with software solutions for safety and sustainability. To learn more about us, visit UL.com.
About the Green Electronics Council
The Green Electronics Council is a non-profit that works with stakeholders around the world to develop a shared vision for more sustainable electronics and the practical tools to realize it. Founded to inspire and catalyze environmental leadership throughout the lifecycle of electronic technologies, GEC manages EPEAT, the definitive global rating system for sustainable electronics, and provides thought leadership on the use of technology to advance sustainability. These activities work to promote a world in which there are only sustainable electronics. For more information, please visit http://www.GreenElectronicsCouncil.org
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