EPEAT® (www.epeat.net), the definitive global environmental rating system for electronics, today announced that four certification and testing organizations with global reputations for technical excellence – DEKRA, Intertek, UL Environment and VDE —will participate as trust providers in the EPEAT system. Following organizational on-boarding, these Product Registration Entities (PREs) – will work directly with manufacturers to register products in the EPEAT system and to verify their environmental attributes.

“Ramping up capacity through alliances with these superbly qualified organizations enables EPEAT to scale rapidly to meet demand for greener products around the globe, and supports the ongoing credibility of the EPEAT system,” said Robert Frisbee, EPEAT’s CEO, “We were fortunate to have highly qualified applicants for this role, and we couldn’t be more pleased with this initial group of partners.”

The PRE group announced today includes some of the most experienced certification and testing organizations in the world. These organizations worked with EPEAT to flesh out the unique certification model laid out in IEEE 1680, which enables products to be registered against environmental performance criteria and strictly monitored after registration. Expanding oversight capacity as the system grows, maintaining stringent verification, and providing cost effective solutions are all keys to this next step toward global capability.

“In today’s complex global value chain, ongoing assessment is critical to the success of efforts to design more sustainable products and services,” said Jeff Omelchuck, EPEAT’s Executive Director of Registry Services, “Expanding the EPEAT system through this collaborative network will ensure effective support and surveillance of manufacturer and supplier claims in this very fast-changing market sector.”

As the PRE organizations come on line, EPEAT is evolving from a system where verification is centralized and performed by EPEAT to one where EPEAT global partners provide the direct link to subscribers for registration and verification. EPEAT, Inc. will increasingly focus on managing the network of PREs and promoting EPEAT to purchasers and consumers as an easy and reliable way to identify greener electronics.

"This is a great step forward in the resources we provide to purchasers and manufacturers to forward the goal of greener electronics. We are excited about this team, and look forward to ongoing expansion to meet global opportunities for a greener planet," said Frisbee.

EPEAT® is the definitive global registry for greener electronics. More information at: www.epeat.net