It's a positive development to see initiatives on the market that aim to make the IT industry more sustainable. The product certification TCO Certified and the manufacturer Fairphone both offer the possibility of choosing smartphones that take social and environmental aspects into consideration. However, the report that compares Fairphone side-by-side to TCO Certified Smartphones is somewhat misleading.
Economic measures are an effective way to drive change, for example reducing the content of hazardous substances in our products and environment. Sweden’s government is currently considering a proposal to introduce a tax on certain consumer products, including electronics, that contain potentially hazardous chemicals.
One of the major changes proposed in the new generation TCO Certified is a fresh approach to reducing hazardous substance content in computers, displays and other electronic devices. Moving away from focusing on banned substances alone, the draft proposes the addition of an Accepted Substances List, specifying substances that have been evaluated and declared as safer alternatives.
In a new report released by the United Nations University, global electronic waste has reached record high levels. 41.8 million tons of e-waste was generated in 2014, fuelling concerns about the growing risks to public health, resource conservation and the environment.
Following last year’s general election, Sweden’ s new government is exploring strategic ways to increase the focus on sustainability public purchasing.
Swedbank’s values-based, risk assessment approach to IT purchasing led to choice of TCO Certified as sustainability criteria in their purchase of 10 000 notebook computers.
Chemsec, The International Chemical Secretariat, has withdrawn from the EU-Commission working group charged with updating the banned substances list in RoHS. It’s unfortunate that the working group has lost Chemsec as a member, as they have been instrumental in presenting concrete solutions to phasing out well-known hazardous substances contained in electronic
Curved displays are widely talked about as the next big thing in display and TV technology. Most major brands are now offering products featuring a curved display – whether desktop displays for work or gaming, as well as TVs and public signage products.
TCO Certified, announced a new cooperation with the Office for Procurement of the German Ministry of the Interior (Beschaffungsamt des Bundesministerium des Innern, BeschA). TCO Certified is set to become part of the newly established code of conduct, agreed to by the BeschA and the electronics industry group BITKOM, another step toward more sustainable procurement of IT products.
Is your organization’s sustainable IT strategy helping you achieve the outcomes you want? Maybe you’ve just started working with sustainable IT or don't have any strategy at all! Either way, a structured plan with measurable goals is essential in helping you reach your sustainability targets with the help of IT.