EPEAT Climate+ Champions

1. Confirm baseline EPEAT registration: Ensure your product is already registered in the EPEAT system under the applicable IEEE 1680 standard (e.g., 1680.1 for computers, 1680.2 for imaging equipment). Climate+ is an advanced designation built on top of standard EPEAT registration.

1. Review Climate+ criteria: Download the EPEAT Climate+ criteria documentation from epeat.net/climateplus. Familiarize yourself with the specific climate-performance requirements that go beyond baseline EPEAT, including lifecycle GHG emissions, energy efficiency thresholds, and recycled content targets.

1. Conduct a gap analysis: Compare your product's current performance data against the Climate+ criteria. Identify which requirements are already met and which require additional data collection, product improvements, or supply chain documentation.

1. Gather and prepare documentation: Compile lifecycle assessment (LCA) data, energy performance test results, recycled content certifications, and end-of-life management documentation. Ensure all data is current and traceable to credible sources.

1. Engage a third-party verifier: Work with a GEC-authorized third-party verification body to review your documentation package. The verifier will assess conformance with Climate+ criteria and flag any gaps before formal submission.

1. Submit registration to GEC: Submit your completed documentation package through the EPEAT registration portal. GEC will conduct its own review and may request additional information or clarification.

1. Receive designation and list on registry: Once approved, your product will appear in the EPEAT registry with the Climate+ Champions designation. You will gain access to GEC's marketing toolkit and the right to display the Climate+ mark.

1. Maintain ongoing compliance: Monitor your product's continued conformance with Climate+ criteria. Prepare for post-market surveillance audits and renew registration annually, updating product data as required.

EPEAT Climate+ Champions evaluates electronics products against an enhanced set of environmental criteria that go significantly beyond the baseline EPEAT (IEEE 1680) standard. The assessment is organized around several key performance areas:

Climate and Carbon Performance: This is the core focus of the Climate+ designation. Products are evaluated on lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, including manufacturing, use-phase energy consumption, and end-of-life impacts. Products must demonstrate measurable reductions in carbon footprint compared to industry baselines, often supported by third-party-verified lifecycle assessments (LCAs).

Energy Efficiency: Products must meet or exceed stringent energy consumption thresholds during active use, sleep, and off modes. This typically aligns with or surpasses ENERGY STAR requirements and may include requirements for power supply efficiency ratings.

Recycled and Responsible Materials: The criteria assess the percentage of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content used in the product's enclosure and other components. Products must also demonstrate responsible sourcing practices, including avoidance of conflict minerals and restricted hazardous substances.

End-of-Life and Circularity: Products are evaluated on take-back and recycling program availability, design for disassembly, and the extent to which materials can be recovered and reused at end of life. Packaging sustainability is also considered.

Corporate Climate Commitments: Manufacturers seeking the Climate+ designation may also be assessed on whether the company has made credible, science-based climate commitments (e.g., Science Based Targets initiative alignment), adding a corporate-level dimension to the product-level assessment.

EPEAT is one of the most widely recognized green electronics procurement standards globally, with the registry used by thousands of institutional purchasers including the U.S. federal government (which mandates EPEAT consideration under Executive Order), the European Commission, and major universities and corporations. The broader EPEAT program covers hundreds of thousands of product registrations across computers, displays, imaging equipment, mobile devices, servers, and televisions. The Climate+ Champions designation, launched as a more recent advanced tier, represents a smaller but growing subset of the registry focused specifically on climate leadership.

The Climate+ designation emerged in response to growing institutional demand for more granular climate performance data in procurement decisions. As governments and corporations set net-zero targets, procurement teams increasingly need tools to identify products with verified, superior climate credentials — not just baseline environmental compliance. EPEAT Climate+ fills this gap in the electronics sector, competing with labels like TCO Certified (which has strong European adoption) and the German Blue Angel for IT equipment. ENERGY STAR, while widely recognized, focuses primarily on use-phase energy efficiency rather than full lifecycle climate performance.

Demand for Climate+ is growing, particularly among U.S. federal agencies, large tech-forward enterprises, and European public sector buyers. However, adoption among manufacturers is still maturing — the criteria are demanding, and smaller manufacturers may lack the LCA infrastructure to comply. GEC has been actively working to expand the number of registered products and product categories covered. As corporate sustainability reporting requirements tighten globally (e.g., SEC climate disclosure rules, EU CSRD), the value of verified product-level climate data is expected to increase, which should drive further adoption of Climate+ in the coming years.

EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) was originally developed in the early 2000s as a response to growing concerns about the environmental impact of electronics procurement, particularly within the U.S. federal government. The program was formally launched in 2006 by the Green Electronics Council (later rebranded as the Global Electronics Council, or GEC), building on the IEEE 1680 standard for environmentally preferable computers. Its adoption was significantly accelerated by a 2007 U.S. Executive Order requiring federal agencies to purchase EPEAT-registered products, establishing it as the de facto standard for green electronics procurement in North America.

Over the following decade, EPEAT expanded its scope to cover additional product categories including imaging equipment, televisions, mobile devices, and servers, and grew its geographic reach to include registrations in dozens of countries. The Climate+ Champions designation was introduced around 2022 as an advanced tier within the EPEAT ecosystem, specifically designed to recognize products with superior climate performance. This evolution reflected the broader shift in sustainability discourse from general environmental compliance toward quantified, science-aligned climate action. Climate+ was developed with input from procurement experts, manufacturers, and environmental stakeholders, and represents GEC's effort to keep EPEAT relevant as institutional buyers demand more rigorous, climate-specific product credentials.