Achieving EPEAT registration requires electronics manufacturers to navigate rigorous sustainability criteria, particularly regarding how they source and document clean energy. This guide breaks down the essential requirements, the role of Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), and how to maximize your score through optional criteria.
What is EPEAT?
Managed by the Global Electronics Council (GEC), EPEAT is a comprehensive voluntary sustainability ecolabel for the electronics sector. The certification evaluates products based on criteria that address priority impacts throughout the product life cycle, including climate change mitigation and energy efficiency.
Renewable Energy Requirements Explained
Under the EPEAT Climate Change Mitigation Criteria (EPEAT-CCM-2023), manufacturers face specific mandates for renewable electricity usage.
The 12.5% Requirement
To meet the required criteria for EPEAT registration, manufacturers must demonstrate that 12.5% of the total electricity consumed by facilities with “significant responsibility for the design and manufacture” of registered products comes from renewable generation or procurement. This percentage must be calculated based on the facility’s total consumption, excluding renewable energy delivered as part of the standard default utility service.
Going Further: Optional Points
Beyond the mandatory baseline, EPEAT incentivizes higher ambition. Manufacturers can earn optional points by increasing their renewable electricity usage:
- 1 Point: Achieving 40% renewable electricity usage.
- 2 Points: Achieving 85% renewable electricity usage.
Additionally, manufacturers can earn up to 4 points by ensuring their key component suppliers (such as those producing CPUs, displays, and printed circuit boards) also procure renewable electricity.
Acceptable Renewable Energy Sources
EPEAT is prescriptive about what counts as renewable energy. Carbon offsets may not be used to achieve these criteria.
Eligible sources include:
- Wind and Solar
- Geothermal
- Biomass: Specific types including woody waste, agricultural waste, energy crops, and landfill gas.
- Hydropower: Must be certified “low-impact” or “in-pipe”.
Critical Constraints: Vintage and Location
Sourcing renewable energy for EPEAT requires strict adherence to timeline and location rules to ensure the claims drive real impact.
1. The 15-Year Commissioning Rule
All renewable generation must originate from projects or generators commissioned within the past 15 years.
- Exception: Energy sourced through long-term direct supply contracts with projects that were new at the time of contract initiation will be recognized for the duration of the contract, provided the project met the criteria when commissioned.
2. Generation Vintage
The renewable electricity must be generated within the same 12-month reporting period as it is consumed. EPEAT allows a slight buffer: generation can occur up to six months immediately preceding or three months immediately following the consumption period.
3. Market Boundary
To ensure credibility, renewable electricity must be sourced from the same electricity market or country where the manufacturer’s facility is located. If third-party verification is not available, manufacturers must demonstrate alignment with the market boundary requirements of the WRI GHG Protocol: Scope 2 Guidance.
The Importance of Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs)
Proof of compliance relies heavily on Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs). EPEAT defines EACs as instruments (such as RECs or Guarantees of Origin) that convey information about energy generation.
Key Rules for EACs:
- Exclusive Ownership: Manufacturers must substantiate that they have exclusive and unique ownership of the renewable energy attributes.
- Retirement: Attributes must be permanently retained or retired by or on behalf of the manufacturer to prevent double counting.
- Surplus: The renewable attribute must be surplus to legal mandates or what is available via standard default service.
- Transparency: The seller must disclose the fuel mix, geographic location, and vintage of the generation.
Verification and Reporting
Manufacturers must calculate their percentage of renewable electricity annually using a consistent 12-month reporting period.
Purchased renewable electricity should ideally be third-party verified or certified to an “Accepted Renewable Electricity Standard” (e.g., a standard that ensures full aggregation of attributes and exclusive ownership). If a third-party certified supply is not available in a specific market, the manufacturer faces a heavier burden of proof, requiring direct evidence of market boundaries, vintage, and ownership retention.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Navigating the 15-year commissioning window and strict market boundary rules of EPEAT can be complex.
Contact Monsoon Carbon’s REC Desk today to receive a customized EAC procurement plan that ensures your electronics products meet EPEAT’s rigorous climate change mitigation criteria.
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