At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, AT&T unveiled Eco-Rating 2.0, an updated rating system that provides consumers an easy way to understand environmental — and now social — impacts associated with their devices. With expanded and more aggressive goals, the ratings also now apply to tablets.
At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, AT&T unveiled Eco-Rating 2.0, an updated rating system that provides consumers an easy way to understand environmental — and now social — impacts associated with their devices. With expanded and more aggressive goals, the ratings also now apply to tablets.
AT&T-branded handsets such as feature phones, smartphones and tablets that enter its pipeline in 2015 will receive a one- to five-star eco-rating based on the 2.0 criteria. Devices rated under these new criteria are expected to enter the marketplace in the first half of 2015.
“Our new eco-rating system empowers consumers to make better informed purchasing decisions in consideration of sustainability factors with ease,” said Jeff Bradley, SVP of Device Marketing and Developer Services — AT&T Mobility. “AT&T’s revamped criteria, including social factors associated with device manufacturing, is designed to encourage device manufacturers to take their sustainability commitments to the next level.”
AT&T’s original eco-rating criteria and attributes have been re-assessed and updated to address the quickly shifting sustainability landscape. For example, the already-existing attribute of “responsible manufacturing” now takes into account new social components, including conflict minerals usage, implementation of a human rights policy, and public reporting on occupational safety management systems and factory code of conduct.
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The system was developed by AT&T in collaboration with BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), a global nonprofit business network and consultancy dedicated to sustainability, and with consultation from industry experts and stakeholders. Eco-ratings have helped consumers understand the environmental profile of AT&T-branded devices since the labels first appeared in 2012. By October 2014, over 70 percent of AT&T’s eco-rated devices earned a rating of 4 or higher.
“AT&T’s updated rating system provides a more holistic view of the sustainability impacts of technology devices,” said Eric Olson, BSR’s SVP of Advisory Services. “These efforts are setting a high — and important — bar for technology companies and encouraging them to play a transformative role in improving the industry’s manufacturing-related environmental and social impacts.”
As a result of AT&T’s concurrent work with International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and other industry organizations around the globe, the Eco-Rating 2.0 criteria align with existing global standards, including UL.
Published Jan 7, 2015 6am EST / 3am PST / 11am GMT / 12pm CET