EPEAT Registered Electronics Preference
This credit recognizes institutions that are supporting markets for environmentally preferable computers and other electronic products.
EPEAT is a certification for computers and other electronic products. The standard’s evaluation criteria include: energy efficiency, reduction and elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, materials selection, design for end-of-life, product longevity and life cycle extension, end-of-life management, corporate performance, and packaging characteristics. EPEAT currently registers products in 41 countries and regions.
This metric is looking at whether the institution has an institution-wide stated preference to purchase computers and/or other electronic products that are EPEAT registered or meet similar multi-criteria sustainability standards for electronic products:
For WikiRate researchers:
Institutions who report to the STARS program are listed on the STARS Participants & Reports website.
Use the institution Index, CTRL F, or Command F to search for the institution you want to research
By clicking on the hyperlinked name of the institution, you will be redirected to the page where all their STARS reports are listed. You can select either the most recent report, or one of the older reports to start tracking their performance over time.
NB: While the values in the reports might apply to different points in time (performance year, baseline year, most recent, etc.), the submission date of the report should be listed as the “year” on WikiRate. This is to ensure that reports of the same submission year can be compared. Any time specific information for the individual values should be included in the comment to that specific metric value.
To narrow down your search, navigate the reports’ index using the Reporting Category - Operations - and Credit Category - Purchasing - to finally select the Credit Title: Electronics Purchasing.
You should now be on the report page that discloses whether the institution has an institution-wide stated preference to purchase computers and/or other electronic products that are EPEAT registered. To locate the exact value you can search the page using CTRL F or Command F with keywords like EPEAT, electronics, and certification.
Always check the metric question and methodology for the unit of measure or currency - researchers may need to carry out calculations or conversions before entering the final metric value
Add comments to include details of simple or complex calculations or conversions made to determine the metric value and document any relevant contextual information, like:
the electronics purchasing policy, directive, or guidelines
a brief description of steps the institution has taken to ensure that the purchasing policy, directives, or guidelines are followed
the website URL where information about the institution's electronics purchasing policy, directive, or guidelines is available
Further guidance on how to research values is available here, including detailed guidance on adding, editing and checking metric values.
STARS compliance guidance for institutions:
Timeframe
Institutions should report the most recent data available from within the three years prior to the anticipated date of submission.
Sampling and Data Standards
Institutions may track purchases over a one-year time period or take a representative sample to determine the EPEAT level of electronic equipment purchases. When using a sample, institutions should strive to ensure that the sample recognizes seasonal and other variations that influence purchasing behavior.