Sustainable development starts with purchaser demand. Although change does not happen overnight, sharp requirements from purchasers is the signal that sets the process in motion. TCO Certified allows multiple organizations to stand behind the same criteria and form a clear, unified voice — while at the same time getting independent proof that theproducts they buy are more sustainable.
TCO Certified is like an ecolabel, but so much more — it is a global sustainability certification for IT products, including both social and environmental aspects. In our 30 years of certifying more sustainable IT products, we’ve learned that when many purchasers issue the same demands they form a unified voice that more effectively pushes the industry towards more sustainable practice. That’s another reason why using a robust ecolabel is better than setting your own criteria.
Kjell Brunnström is an Adjunct Professor and a Senior Scientist at Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE). He leads an engaged team focused on research in visual media and display quality. Together with the team member Börje Andrén he has followed TCO Certified from day one.
“TCO Certified has been a strong driving force since the beginning. When TCO Certified issued tough demands on industry, the brand owners initially said they couldn’t handle them. Still, they were quickly able to meet the demands when they realized it benefited them,” says Kjell Brunnström.
TCO Certified challenges the IT industry and is an easy to use tool for purchasers that want to include relevant and comprehensive sustainability criteria in their procurement. Most importantly, independent verification is included — it’s mandatory and continuous. The purchaser does not need deep knowledge in sustainability or a network of experts that have access to IT factories all over the world. To be part of the sustainable IT revolution, you only need to write TCO Certified in your procurement specifications and ask vendors to show a product certificate as proof.
