TCO adds sustainability metrics to IT equipment search tool

TCO Development, a provider of IT sustainability certification through TCO Certified, has announced a new tool designed to help businesses purchase sustainable IT products.

The firm has expanded its online Product Finder database to include metrics on sustainability performance for certified products to help buyers make informed choices on the equipment and hardware they purchase.

With a new subscription option, organisations receive notifications on certified products that meet individually predefined sustainability parameters, according to TCO.

This data includes the percentage of post-consumer recycled plastic content, energy consumption, battery cycles, as well as weight, size and resolution. Product Finder also offers a feature that will calculate use-phase carbon dioxide emissions and energy costs.

“With the subscription function, purchasers can be at the frontline of sustainable procurement, staying up to date with the latest certified models,” said purchaser engagement manager at TCO Development, Clare Hobby.

TCO Development is the organisation behind TCO Certified, a global sustainability certification for IT systems, and has certified 3,500 product models to date.

Products are verified according to criteria set out in the certification, with specific data generated in the process. Product Finder then makes this data available to purchasing customers and can be used in the decision-making process, for communication, and sustainability reporting.

“Independent verification organisations we work with spend more than 20,000 hours per year verifying that products and their manufacturing facilities comply with the criteria in TCO Certified,” Hobby continued. “This comprehensive verification system makes TCO Certified the most robust and reliable certification available for IT products.”

The specific criteria for certifying equipment and hardware are also updated every three years to stay current with technical development and sustainability challenges, the firm added. Its newly-updated Product Finder database is expected to give businesses more information when purchasing equipment so they can meet their sustainability goals.