Products

A Guide to Environmentally Preferable Computer Purchasing

Published October 2000, revised January 2008. The original 2000 version of this guide is available for download as a PDF.

Computers are as common in our offices as telephones and the numbers are growing. Faster, more powerful machines quickly replace obsolete equipment and "upgrade" cycles span only two or three years. Most computer equipment is not designed to be easily recycled. The components are difficult to take apart and the materials, especially plastics, are often unlabeled making recycling difficult. The result is large amounts of electronic junk headed for disposal.

Besides wasting materials, the manufacturing process and disposal of electronic equipment may release pollutants into the air and water and may adversely affect human health and the environment. The costs to replace equipment every two or three years, plus the cost to dispose of these items properly can add up quickly. What looked like a good price for new equipment may carry significant hidden costs.

You can send a message to manufactures and suppliers. Your purchasing decisions can affect the market. Choose manufacturers who practice Product Stewardship by making it their business to produce products that are less toxic, conserve materials, and reduce waste.

This Guide can help you make environmentally friendly choices when you purchase computer equipment. In it you’ll find out:

• what product features can damage the environment
• what alternatives to seek

Problems and Alternatives
From design to disposal, purchasing choices affect the environment. The lists below identify materials and processes to consider for their environmental impacts, and show how your purchasing specifications can reduce or eliminate those problems.

What’s the most important part of "green purchasing"? It’s taking steps to avoid pollution and waste. Energy efficient equipment cuts polluting emissions from power plants. Providing for equipment at the end of its useful life also prevents pollution and save valuable resources. That’s good business, too: the most efficient system has the least waste. If you want to read only one part of this Guide, see "End-of-Life" Management.

Obsolescence vs. "Upgradability"; End-of-Life Management

What’s the problem?
"Planned obsolescence" and design-for-disposal uses up natural resources and causes waste. Operating systems and software that cannot be upgraded electronically affect both the environment and the user’s budget.

What’s the alternative?

• Lease and take-back options (the purchaser buys computing "service" rather than a computer product").
• Choose operating systems and software that are readily upgradable.
• Ask for readily upgradable hardware.
• Make sure spare parts and service will be available (defined in "years available after production").
• Check to see that memory is easily expandable. Demand "spare tire" software and licensing, pre-loaded to allow for simple reuse of hardware. (Spare tire software is ‘inflated’ when equipment is decommissioned. The original software-related data are erased.)

Packaging & Shipping

What’s the problem?
Computer equipment comes packaged in materials that typically cannot be reused, separated, or recycled. Glued computer parts and multiple-material packaging impede recycling. Materials such as polystyrene are generally made without recycled content and may be non-recyclable. Excessive packaging is wasteful. Paper manuals and disks packaged with each computer often add to the waste.

What’s the alternative?

• Ask for several computer units to be packaged together for shipping (called "multi-paks") rather than boxed individually.
• Require recycled-content materials and recyclable packaging.
• Recyclers need to know material types, so require labeling (type of plastic, metal, etc.)
• Require manufacturers or shippers to take back packaging for reuse or recycling.
• Ask for on-line manuals and pre-installed programs.
• Require that types and number of materials are minimized and content is labeled.

Toxic Materials

What’s the problem?
Manufacturing of computers and component parts typically involves solvents and other substances that must be controlled to reduce pollution and health risks. Cadmium, mercury, lead, and brominated or halogenated compounds do not break down readily in nature, and require special management. (Refer to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition’s Clean Computer Campaign, http://www.svtc.org for more details about toxic substances related to computer equipment).

What’s the alternative?

• Mandate low levels of toxic chemicals of concern.
• Use non-halogenated flame retardants or equipment designed using non-halogenated flame using or equipment designed using self-extinguishing base.
• Require take-back provisions for all equipment.
• Use lead-free solder.
• Explore glass-to-glass recycling to reuse leaded glass in cathode ray tubes (CRTs).
• Use only low-mercury and long-life lamps in flat panel displays.
• Batteries should be removable, rechargeable, and recyclable.
• Label battery type, weight; give instructions for recycling, removal and installation.

Other Design and Manufacturing Factors

What’s the problem?
Product design and manufacturing should address air and water pollution and employee health concerns. Besides using toxic substances and "designing-for-disposal," manufacturers often use glues or fasteners that make repair or upgrade impractical. In addition, virgin and non-recyclable materials use up more water, energy, and minerals than recycled materials.

What’s the alternative?

• Demand products and parts designed so they can be disassembled with universally available tools; minimize use of fasteners.
• Require readily recyclable metal casings.
• Require recycled-content materials.
• Use remanufactured and refurbished equipment.
• Choose manufacturers who minimize the toxicity and variety of adhesives, labels, coatings, finishes, fasteners, and metallic paints.
• Require EnergyStar compliance for energy use and sleep modes, active upon delivery and functional within LAN environment. This can save substantially on electricity use and costs, and reduce greenhouse gases related to energy generation. City of Seattle requires Energy Star PCs.
• Require and enable duplex printing mode.
• Require electronic or on-line documentation.
• Select printers and copiers that use remanufactured toner cartridges and can print on both sides of paper.
• Consider air quality standards for printers.

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