TCO Certified

TCO Certified is a worldwide sustainability certification that promotes sustainably designed IT products. The focus of the certification is that IT products, their design, use and manufacture are based on environmental, social and economic considerations.[1]

The purpose of TCO Certified is to advance sustainable development in the IT space, make it easier for professional IT buyers around the world to include sustainability requirements in their purchasing decisions and also to make it easier to verify product sustainability claims. Certified products meet a broad criteria scope including requirements for socially responsible manufacturing, environment as well as health& safety throughout the product life cycle.

TCO Certified is a third party certification, classified as a Type 1 Environmental Label in accordance with ISO 14024. This classification requires that product compliance with all criteria in TCO Certified is tested and verified by an independent, accredited third party. In addition, regular spot checks are carried out on products and manufacturing sites.

Eligible product categories

TCO Certified is available for eight product categories: displays, notebooks, tablets, smartphones, desktops, all-in-one PCs, projectors and headsets.

Sustainability criteria

Criteria included in TCO Certified are developed by TCO Development in dialog with a broad international group of stakeholders, including professional purchasers, the IT industry, independent subject matter experts and computer users. This dialog is a critical element in ensuring that the criteria in TCO Certified are relevant, reflect current needs, and are in line with new technologies. Criteria in TCO Certified are typically reviewed and updated every three years.

Socially responsible manufacturing

Requirements in TCO Certified for socially responsible manufacturing make it possible for purchasers to influence the manufacturing stage of IT products. Brands applying for TCO Certified are required to take responsibility for ensuring fair working conditions in production facilities manufacturing TCO Certified product models. Criteria are based on existing internationally accepted conventions, codes of conduct and reporting systems including ILO Core Conventions, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, EICC membership, SA8000 certification and compliance with labour laws in the manufacturing country.

Environmental criteria

TCO Certified product models meet requirements for energy efficiency and the reduction or elimination of substances that are hazardous to the environment or human health. For extended product life, all TCO Certified product models must offer a minimum one year warranty and spare parts must be made available for at least three years following product discontinuation. Product and packaging must be prepared for recycling and the brand must offer a take back system for responsible product recycling. For a product to qualify for TCO Certified, the brand must also be EMAS or ISO14001 certified.

Health and safety

TCO Certified includes criteria for ergonomic design, including visual and workload ergonomics, which contribute to a better working environment. Certified products also meet requirements for electrical safety.

Product testing and verification

TCO Certified is a third party certification. Product models applying for TCO Certified are tested and verified by an independent testing body for compliance with all criteria relevant to that product category. As an additional verification step, spot checks on products and production facilities are regularly carried out.

History

TCO Certified was launched for displays in 1992, focusing on usability and safety factors and has grown to include eight product categories and a broader criteria scope. TCO Development is owned by TCO, a non-profit organization based in Stockholm, Sweden and with regional presence in Asia and North America.

TCO'92

The first TCO certification, for 1992, defined low emission standard for computer displays, and power management features, which is a superset of MPR-II standards.

TCO'95

TCO'95 expands certification category to CRT displays, keyboards, system units. Within each item, the standard addresses ergonomics, emissions, energy, and ecology involved into making the certified product.

Ergonomics

Emissions

Energy

Ecology

TCO'99

This version certifies Cathode Ray Tube Displays (CRT), Flat Panel Displays (FPD), Portable computers, Desktops, Keyboards, Printers. Starting from 2006-07-01, certified product also has to comply with RoHS when sold in Europe.

TCO'99 FPD does not have any requirement for display color.

TCO'01

TCO'01 only certifies mobile phones, but it defines the following areas:

Emissions

Labeling includes the SAR value, which is the accepted way of measuring the amount of radiation energy absorbed by the head when the telephone is broadcasting at full power. Also included is TCP (Telephone Communication Power), which is a new method for determining the telephone's communication ability. A good telephone must use a large portion of its power for communication and as small a percentage of the radiation as possible should be absorbed by the head. A good combination, therefore, is a low SAR value and a high TCP value.

Ergonomics

A telephone must be easy to use. The requirements cover such things as the buttons, the form of the display, the suitability of the manual for the user, and the material used in the casing in order to avoid problems relating to contact allergies.

Ecology

This states the substances that are completely banned from use in the telephone, cadmium, mercury, and beryllium oxide, and those which may only be used to a limited extent, such as lead and flame-retardants

TCO'03

TCO'03 only regulates cathode ray displays (CRT) and flat panel displays (FPD). Luminance and resolutions requirements are tightened. New to the certification includes Image loading capacity, RGB settings for visual ergonomics section; vertical tile for Work load ergonomics section; tightened noise requirement for "all-in-one computers" for emissions (acoustic noise) section; dropped co-operative agreement with at least one professional electronics recycling company requirement in Ecology section; lowered energy consumption in Energy section. RoHS is applicable after July 1, 2006.

TCO'04

TCO'04 only defines office furniture, making it the first TCO certification for non-electronic devices. Certified furniture included work tables and work chairs. It concentrates on following areas:

Ergonomics

Emissions

TCO'05

TCO'05 only defines notebook and desktop computers, which are successors of TCO'99 for computers.

Ergonomics

Emissions

Energy

Ecology

TCO'06

TCO'06 Media Displays extends TCO'03 FPD version 3.0 to include a Flat Panel TV or multifunction display to be used for monitoring or rendering moving images. A display intended for office use should be certified as TCO'03 Displays and the multifunction display can be certified as TCO'03 Displays and TCO'06 Media Displays.

The following are changes from TCO'03 Displays to TCO'06 Media Displays:

The following are new additions from TCO'03 Displays to TCO'06 Media Displays:

The following are removed from TCO'03 Displays to TCO'06 Media Displays:

TCO'07

TCO'07 defines headset standards to guarantee a product meets certain ergonomic, radiation, environment, and energy use requirements.

See also

References

  1. ↑ SamMobile. "Galaxy S4 Scores TCO Green Certificates in Europe". SamMobile.

TCO Certified Swedish Chamber of Commerce Taipei

External links

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