Retailers, manufacturers help to simplify green CE purchasing

TEMPE, Ariz. The Sustainability Consortium, a program administered jointly by Arizona State University and the University of Arkansas, announced plans to establish a system, including social and environmental considerations, to help consumers identify "green" electronics.

The Consortium said it will work with Best Buy, Dell, HP, Intel, Toshiba, and Walmart, to research and publish findings on the lifecycle environmental and social impacts of electronic products. These findings will be used to support efforts to identify products as sustainable or "green." This type of information is designed to reduce consumer confusion and help standardize product claims.

In developing the criteria, the consortium will consider the impacts electronics have on those who build, use and dispose of them, as well as their environmental impacts throughout their lifecycle. It also is investigating how to collaborate with standards and programs with which consumers are already familiar, such as EPEAT (the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) and ENERGY STAR, and standards set forth by the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition.  

Mary Capozzi, senior director of corporate responsibility for Best Buy noted,  "As we make it easier for customers to choose more sustainable products, demand for them will increase and provide manufacturers with an incentive to make products that are more environmentally and socially responsible."