Office Products Standards

There are a wide variety of awards and accreditations for office products, using a wide variety of different criteria. Read more about some of the best known organisations below or jump straight to the web page of each accreditation using the "Related Links" on the right hand side.

The Blue Angel is the first and most well-known eco-label worldwide. Since 1978 it has set the standard for eco-friendly products and services selected by an independent jury in line with defined criteria. The Blue Angel is awarded to companies as kind of a reward for their commitment to environmental protection. They use it to professionally promote their eco-friendly products in the market. The Blue Angel is an ecological beacon showing the consumer the way to the ecologically superior product and promotes environmentally conscious consumption. The website is mainly in German, although product criteria can be accessed in English.

Originally developed in the United States, Energy Star has become the most widely-recognised voluntary environmental standard. Energy Star power consumption criteria have been adopted by other labelling bodies as a benchmark for energy performance and by the EU in public sector procurement guidelines and some Energy Using Product directives.

Energy Star standards are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain challenging for manufacturers. Imaging equipment criteria were last updated in 2013.

The Swan is the official Nordic ecolabel, introduced by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The activities within Nordic Ecolabelling are coordinated by the Nordic Ecolabelling Board.

The Swan's mission is to contribute to reducing the consumer burden on the environment. Using ecolabelling, they aim to guide consumers and purchasers in their desire to shop with a "green" conscience, and thus contribute to a better society.

Through ecolabelling, the Swan wants to encourage manufacturers to develop environmentally-friendly products and services.

TCO is a quality and environmental labelling system, the purpose of which is to influence the development of ICT products to ensure optimum user-friendliness and minimum impact on the environment. The TCO labelling system makes it easy to choose IT and office equipment which is beneficial to both the user and the environment. There is no TCO standard for imaging equipment, but other types of IT equipment are covered.

The Japanese “friendly to the earth” award that recognizes products that significantly reduce environmental impact in everyday life.

The Eco Mark program which is governed by the Japan Environment Association , is managed in accordance with the standards and principles of the International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO), particularly: ISO 14020 and ISO 14024.

The “PC green label” indicates PC maker’s overall efforts and activities to ensure that a computer is environmentally conscious. The label concept consists of the following three elements:

• Environmentally conscious product design and manufacturing
• PC take-back including principles of  reuse, recycle and proper disposal after end of use
• Environmental information disclosure.

EcoLeaf''s purpose is to indicate quantitative environmental information about products and services. The EcoLeaf label belongs to the Type III labeling category defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO TR 14025).

The aim of the EcoLeaf program is that it will become a benefit to those who are striving to develop eco-conscious products and services.

The EU Ecolabel helps you identify products and services that have a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle, from the extraction of raw material through to production, use and disposal. Recognised throughout Europe, EU Ecolabel is a voluntary label promoting environmental excellence which can be trusted.

EPEAT® is a comprehensive environmental rating that helps identify greener computers and other electronic equipment. It was conceived and developed through the collaboration of stakeholders from the business, advocacy, government and academic arenas in the United States. EPEAT is used by hundreds of companies, universities and government agencies in dozens of countries. Its rigorous requirements and searchable product database let buyers bypass marketing hype and confusing specifications.

An EPEAT standard for imaging equipment was added in 2013.