OREANDA-NEWS. February 15, 2011.  Lenovo today announced that it has become the first company to earn a Gold rating for the laptop category in UL Environment’s new Sustainable Product Certification (SPC) for high tech equipment. UL Environment tested the upcoming ThinkPad T420 laptop, to be introduced later this month, for the most stringent and prestigious of three levels of compliance.

“Becoming the first PC-maker with a UL Environment Gold certified laptop reconfirms efforts we’ve made to green our products and advancing sustainability throughout our organization,” said Rob Taylor, director of environmental affairs, Lenovo. “Our upcoming products, like the ThinkPad T420, demonstrate that we can make high performance technology that’s environmentally responsible.”

UL Environment Certification

In order to determine compliance with the IEEE 1680 sustainability standard, UL Environment assessed product documentation and records, physically examined product samples, independently tested the product for compliance to ENERGY STAR® 5.0 requirements and conducted onsite audits of manufacturing facilities. UL Environment-certified environmental criteria include the elimination or reduction of certain hazardous substances that pose threats to human health and the environment.

"UL’s trusted independent testing and certification program helps companies differentiate their products based on tested and validated environmental performance,” said Steve Wenc, president of UL Environment. “Companies like Lenovo that choose third party certification to environmental standards are not only encouraging customer peace of mind, but they are raising the sustainability bar for their industry peers.”

PC Design with the Environment in Mind

The upcoming ThinkPad T420 laptop extends Lenovo’s commitment to designing greener products. As part of Lenovo’s Environmentally Conscious Products program. Lenovo built the laptop with the entire lifecycle in mind, starting with using low halogen and post consumer recycled content (PCC). Lenovo has used more than 9,500 metric tons of PCC since September 2005 to reduce use of raw materials. All ThinkPad laptops contain PCC with several upcoming ones containing more than 10 percent PCC. Additionally, ThinkCentre desktops and ThinkVision monitors incorporate more at roughly 65 percent on average.

To maximize energy efficiency during use, Think-branded products meet and exceed ENERGY STAR 5.0 requirements. For example, the ThinkPad T420 exceeds them by 10 percent1, while the ThinkVision L2251x wide monitor exceeds them by 20 percent. Additionally, Lenovo has begun to measure the carbon footprint of some products, like the ThinkVision L1951p. More than 50 Think-branded products, like the T420, are certified to meet other eco-labels including Nordic Swan and Electronics Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Gold rating. Customers can receive product shipments in bulk packaging to eliminate waste, and product packaging is 100 percent recyclable and recycled.