Third Party Certifications – More Important than Ever
Over the past months we’ve seen several media reports of quality control problems with so-called “self certification” or “self-registration” environmental programs for electronics and appliances. In some cases products were assigned an energy rating or environmental registration without actually meeting the requirements of the programs in question. In other cases reported earlier this month, non-existent products were deliberately put through the system to test its quality control and product verification. The concerning outcome was - they passed !
As a third party certification program, we at TCO Certified have received many requests to comment on the current situation of false approvals in self-registration programs. Our opinion is that these quality assurance problems are to be expected in a system where approval relies solely on information submitted by the manufacturers themselves . For an eco-label to be a credible assurance to buyers, independent verification of product features and claims is vital. This is how the TCO certification system has worked for almost 20 years.
TCO Certified is a third party certification (Type 1), as defined by the International Standards Organization. This means that all products bearing the label have been rigorously tested by an independent lab, according to internationally accredited test methods. Savvy buyers around the world acknowledge that a Type 1 eco-label is the best possible assurance that an IT product actually meets the requirements set forth by the label and lives up to claims made by the manufacturer.
As our society focuses more on being “green”, so do product vendors and manufacturers. In almost every product or service sector, there are environmental messages and claims put forth to attract buyers. The result is confusion for buyers as they try and decide who to trust, which product claims to believe. This is another reason why third party, Type 1 eco-labels are more important than ever – providing an objective voice in making a green product choice easier.