EPEAT certification: Apple pulls its products, puts them back, and prompts debate

Apple’s decision to remove its products from the EPEAT registry, and its later decision to re-list them, have led to a number of questions about how thin and light laptops are evaluated by the organization. Today, EPEAT is announcing that it’s beginning a period of “surveillance” of thin and lights in order to get a better handle on “broad ambiguities or issues with product declarations.” Specifically, it’s looking at how adhesive use impacts its criteria governing disassembly of external enclosures and the identification and removal of components with hazardous chemicals.

In order for manufacturers to claim EPEAT certification, they first declare that said products meet EPEAT standards by registering them with the organization, and only afterward do some get randomly selected to see if they satisfy EPEAT’s Conformity Assessment Protocols. This lets the organization deal with a huge volume of new electronic devices at arm’s length; having manufacturers police themselves under threat of “publicly embarrassing” exposure for failing to meet the standard. Newer laptop designs like Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display make use of glue to attach components, and with statements like “all covered products shall not contain molded-in or glued-in metal inserts in plastic enclosures unless they are easy to remove” (emphasis ours), it isn’t exactly clear how the newer production methods affect EPEAT certification. The organization says it will take four weeks to complete the information gathering — tapping manufacturers, designers, recyclers, and other experts; after which it will communicate its findings to the masses. The investigation could wind up in some manufacturers choosing to de-register their products with the organization, as well as “broader public verification processes,” said EPEAT’s CEO Robert Frisbee.

Apple has announced today that it will again begin to use the EPEAT green certification program, reversing a decision to remove the labels barely a week ago on July 6th. That day, the EPEAT said that Apple had decided to remove the label from its products for vague reasons related to its “design direction.”

Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield (who recently announced that he was retiring) said in a letter on Apple’s website that he recognized that the decision to remove the certification from the company’s 39 products was a “mistake,” and that “many loyal customers” were disappointed with the move. The EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) is a method for consumers can use to evaluate the impact of a given product on the environment, and is managed by the Green Electronics Council.

Apple’s decision to pull its products from the EPEAT ‘green’ certification registry is having repercussions in at least one city. After hearing that the company would no longer certify its products as environmentally friendly using EPEAT, San Francisco’s Department of Environment told CIO Journal that the city would not purchase any more Apple computers. The Department says a 2007 policy only allows agencies to buy EPEAT-certified computers and monitors with public funds, and the city’s Chief Information Officer — who manages purchases — is backing the decision. Although it will be possible for individual agencies to get a waiver, the CIO says “it’s going to be very problematic to procure Apple products.”

Department of Environment director Melanie Nutter says she hopes “the city saying it will not buy Apple products will make Apple reconsider its participation” in EPEAT. Some universities have also told CIO Journal they are now reconsidering their Apple purchases. Even so, it’s unlikely Apple will go back, especially since its latest compact designs are at odds with EPEAT’s requirements for recyclable, upgradeable machines. So far, Apple has not replied to our request for comment.

From its hardware to its data centers, Apple is known for touting its environmentally-friendly bona fides — but the company has modified that stance when it comes to its hardware. This past month Apple pulled its 39 products that were featured in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) registry, telling the organization that it would not be submitting future items for consideration. EPEAT evaluates how much a given product impacts the environment, taking into account its recyclability, upgradeability, manufacturing processes, and energy consumption. Apple had previously touted EPEAT certification as a high point, with the company’s most recent iMacs having received the organization’s highest rating, EPEAT Gold. In fact, Apple is still touting the EPEAT Gold certification for the iMac on its own website, though the image of the EPEAT seal itself is strangely absent.