NEC FP955 user manual TCO’99, Why do we have environmentally labelled computers?

TCO’99

Congratulations! You have just purchased a TCO’99 approved and labeled product! Your choice has provided you with a product devel- oped for professional use. Your purchase has also contributed to reducing the burden on the environment and also to the further development of environmentally adapted electronics products.

Why do we have environmentally labelled computers?

In many countries, environmental labelling has become an established method for encourag- ing the adaptation of goods and services to the environment. The main problem, as far as computers and other electronics equipment are concerned, is that environmentally harmful substances are used both in the products and during the manufacturing. Since it has not been possible for the majority of electronics equipment to be recycled in a satisfactory way, most of these potentially damaging substances sooner or later enter Nature.

There are also other characteristics of a computer, such as energy consumption levels, that are important from the viewpoints of both the work (Internal) and natural (external) environments. Since all methods of conventional electricity generation have a negative effect on the environment (acidic and climate-influencing emissions, radioactive waste, etc.), it is vital to conserve energy. Electronics equipment in offices consume an enormous amount of energy since they are often left running continuously.

What does labelling involve?

This product meets the requirements for the TCO’99 scheme which provides for international and environmental labelling of personal computers. The labelling scheme was developed as a joint effort by the TCO (The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees), Svenska Naturskyddsforeningen (The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation) and Statens Energimyndighet (The Swedish National Energy Administration).

The requirements cover a wide range of issues: environment, ergonomics, usability, emission of electrical and magnetic fields, energy consumption and electrical and fire safety.

The environmental demands concern restrictions on the presence and use of heavy metals, brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, CFCs (freons) and chlorinated solvents, among other things. The product must be prepared for recycling and the manufacturer is obliged to have an environmental plan which must be adhered to in each country where the company implements its operational policy. The energy requirements include a demand that the computer and/or display, after a certain period of inactivity, shall reduce its power consumption to a lower level in one or more stages. The length of time to reactivate the computer shall be reasonable for the user.

Labelled products must meet strict environmental demands, for example, in respect of the reduction of electric and magnetic fields, physical and visual ergonomics and good usability.

Environmental Requirements

Flame retardants

Flame retardants are present in printed circuit boards, cables, wires, casings and housings. In turn, they delay the spread of fire. Up to thirty percent of the plastic in a computer casing can consist of flame retardant substances. Most flame retardants contain bromine or chloride and these are related to another group of environmental toxins, PCBs, which are suspected to give rise to severe health effects, including reproductive damage in fisheating birds and mammals, due to the bio-

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