TCO Certified launches sustainability certification for tablet PCs

TCO Certified, the worldwide third party sustainability label for IT products, today launched TCO Certified Tablets , the program’s first sustainability certification for tablet PCs. The TCO Certified Tablets label offers IT buyers a way to more easily identify tablets designed to help them meet sustainability demands while not compromising the user experience. The launch coincides with the announcement that the Samsung SLATE PC Series 7 is the first tablet to meet the label’s demanding criteria for environmental design, ergonomics and social responsibility.

Sören Enholm, CEO of TCO Development, the organization behind TCO Certified, comments on the launch: -The tablet is rapidly becoming part of our personal and business PC environment. Expanding TCO Certified to include tablets is a natural step, considering our almost 20 years of experience certifying PCs and displays. As users, we should demand that all our IT products feature good image performance, environmental design and that they are manufactured under socially responsible conditions. This is the assurance that a TCO Certified tablet delivers to the user. We congratulate Samsung on the certification of the SLATE PC Series 7.

Samsung Electronics first to fulfill the TCO Certified Tablest criteria
-Samsung Electronics is proud to fulfill TCO Certified for the SLATE PC Series 7 and it meets our goals towards sustainable development, says Kyuho Uhm, Senior Vice President of the IT Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics.

In keeping with TCO Certified requirements for PCs and displays, criteria for TCO Certified Tablets cover multiple attributes, including minimal use of hazardous materials, energy efficiency, visual and workload ergonomics, design for recycling as well as corporate social responsibility in the production phase. Product models carrying the TCO Certified label meet all requirements and are rigorously tested and verified in an accredited third party laboratory.
Tablets PC:s are currently among the fastest growing trends in electronics. Growth estimates put the tablet market from an estimated 10.3 million consumers in 2010 to 208 million users by 2014. While tablets have been primarily marketed to consumers, professional users or “prosumers” are expected to adopt tablet technology in greater numbers in the next few years, particularly in retail, health care, finance and education settings. In 2011 an estimated 25% of tablets will be purchased for business use, double the amount seen in 2010. This number is expected to rise dramatically along with continued growth in the consumer segment.

Sören Enholm concludes: -We at TCO Development see our role as a catalyst for moving IT in a more sustainable direction. As awareness of sustainable development and social responsibility grows in the IT industry, so does our engagement with key stakeholders in making progress towards remaining targets in the product lifecycle. Issues such as e-waste, energy consumption, material content and worker conditions will continue to drive our efforts towards a more sustainable IT environment.