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

EPEAT researching thin and light laptops to clear up ambiguities on glue use

2012-07-18T02:02:04-04:00

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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 …

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Apple returns to EPEAT environmental impact rating group: ‘I recognize that this was a mistake’

2012-07-13T13:43:09-04:00

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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 (Electron …

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San Francisco government to stop buying Apple products after company drops ‘green’ certification (update)

2012-07-10T15:51:05-04:00

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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 sa …

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Apple pulls its products from EPEAT ‘green’ certification registry

2012-07-06T22:54:09-04:00

MacBook Pro with Retina Display stock

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 th …

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