Safer chemicals, more circular solutions, and improved transparency. With new and updated criteria, TCO Certified now helps IT purchasers take another step in environmental and supply chain social sustainability.
IT products come with a large number of sustainability risks from raw material extraction to final assembly and throughout the life cycle. However, new and updated criteria in TCO Certified, generation 9 allow for critical next steps to reduce these risks.
Improved criteria in several areas
To improve social responsibility in the supply chain, transparency about sub-suppliers is required in TCO Certified, generation 9. Criteria for anti-corruption and mineral sourcing are strengthened, and we move forward to enable circular IT solutions with more ambitious criteria aimed at extending the life of IT products, promoting material recovery, and reducing e-waste. Our ground-breaking system for safer alternatives to hazardous substances is also expanded to include process chemicals used in the manufacture of IT products.
Helping purchasers avoid greenwash
To make sure that all criteria in TCO Certified are being met, independent verifiers spend more than 20,000 hours each year on product testing and supply chain assessments. Non-compliances are met with real consequences — certificates can be removed and factories may lose the right to manufacture certified products. This way, purchasers can make more informed purchasing decisions, and reduce the risk of greenwashing.