User’s Manual
Information
•TCO'99-Ecological requirements for personal computers (TCO applied model only)
Congratulations!
You have just purchased a TCO'99 approved and labelled product! Your choi ce has provided you with a
product developed for professional use. Your purchase has also cont ributed to reducing the burden on the
environment and also to the further development of environmentally a dapted electronics products.
This product meets the requirements for the TCO'99 scheme which provides for an international
environmental and quality labelling labelling of personal computer s. The labelling scheme was developed as
a joint effort by the TCO(The Swedish Confederation of Professional Emp loyees),
Svenska Naturskyddsforeningen(The Swedish Society for Nature Conservati on),
Statens Energimyndighet(The Swedish National Energy Administration) and SEMKO AB.
The requirements cover a wide range of issuse: environment, ergonom ics, usability, reduction of electric and
magnetic fields, energy consumption and electrical safety.
Why do we have environmentally labelled computers?
In many countries, environmental labelling has become an established m ethod for encouraging 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 s ubstances are used both in the
products and during their manufacture. Since it is not so far possible to satisfactorily recycle the majority of
electronics equipment, most of these potentially damaging substance s 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) environ ments. Since all methods of
electricity generation have a negative effect on the environment (e.g. aci dic and climate-influencing
emissions, radioactive waste), it is vital to save energy.
Electronics equipment in offices is often left running continuously and the reby consumes a lot of energy.
What does labelling involve?
The environmental demands has been developed by Svenska Naturskyddsfor eningen
(The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation). These demands impose restrictions on the presence and use
of heavy metals, brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, CFCs(freo ns)and chlorinated solvents,
among other things. The product must be prepared for recycling and the manufacturer is obliged to have an
environmental policy 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, afte r 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.
Below you will find a brief summary of the environmental requirements met b y this product.
The complete environmental criteria document may be ordered from:
Regulatory