On May 22, TCO Development was presented with an Outstanding Case Study Award by the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council at their annual Summit held in Portland, Oregon, USA. The award recognizes TCO Certified, generation 8, and the sustainability benefits it delivers to IT purchasers in areas of circularity, supply chain responsibility and the environment.

The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council jury awarded TCO Development for “TCO Certified, generation 8. Helping IT purchasers drive product circularity, chemical transparency and supply chain responsibility”.

“We’re really proud of the work behind this generation of TCO Certified and the benefits it offers IT purchasers who want to make better product choices, not only for the environment, but also as a way to directly impact the supply chain of the products they buy,” says Clare Hobby, Director of Purchaser Engagement, Global at TCO Development.

“IT is a complex category and it’s critical that purchasers have verified tools that help them use their purchasing power for positive effect. We’re proud to be associated with SPLC and the important work they do to equip purchasers for driving a more sustainable future,” continues Clare Hobby.

TCO Certified, generation 8 represents a significant step forward in sustainability criteria that purchasers can use in their IT purchasing to drive a more sustainable, responsible product life cycle. New criteria empower purchasers to enable greater circularity, supply chain responsibility and transparency as well as reduce negative environmental impacts. TCO Certified, generation 8 is also designed to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Specific criteria target several priority sustainability issues:

  • Longer product lifetime and durability – promoting circularity principles of longer use and re-use.
  • Safer chemicals: non-halogenated flame retardants and plasticizers can only be used if they have been independently verified by approved toxicologists as safer alternatives.
  • Focus on supply chain responsibility and transparency. Verifying factory improvements and conformity with codes of conduct.

The case study will be available in the SPLC online case study library at sustainablepurchasing.org.