Publications and Resources

The following publications and resources are available to assist you in implementing environmental reductions at your facility. Specific resources are also available below to assist you in each electronics life-cycle phase: acquisition and procurement; operation and maintenance; and end-of-life management.

• Federal Legislation, Regulation, and Executive Orders Relevant to Electronics Stewardship
  This document provides best management practices which may assist in meeting Federal legislation, regulation, and Executive Orders that are applicable to electronics stewardship.
• Partnering with the Federal Electronics Challenge and Federal Green Challenge
  This resource describes how you can obtain technical assistance and recognition for your electronics stewardship activities through both the FEC and FGC.

Environmental Management Systems

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency.

• Environmental Management Systems and Federal Electronics Stewardship
  This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about the connection between your EMS and federal electronics stewardship.
• Integrating Electronics Stewardship Into Your Environmental Management System
  This document highlights how electronics stewardship can be incorporated into an EMS, utilizing the framework of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standard 14001:2004.

Promotional Posters

These posters are available for Partners to customize and post to educate employees about electronics stewardship topics.

• Powering Down Computers and Monitors (PPT)
• Double Sided Copying and Printing (PPT)
• Toner and Ink Cartridge Recycling (PPT)

The following resources are available to assist you in improving the purchase, lease and other procurement of electronic products.

Getting Started

Not sure how to start improving your electronics acquisition and procurement? The following resources can help you understand federal requirements and plan and implement improvements.

• FAR Clauses Applicable to Electronics Stewardship
  This document outlines required electronics stewardship activities which apply to federal agencies under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
• Federal Electronics Acquisition and Procurement Planning Checklist
  This checklist outlines questions to consider throughout the federal acquisition and procurement process for electronic products, and can assist in planning, and purchasing or leasing, of environmentally preferable electronic products and services.
• Sample Policy and Guidance Language for Federal Electronics Acquisition
  This document provides sample federal policy and guidance language requiring the purchase or lease of ENERGY STAR qualified, FEMP designated, and Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered electronics products, as well as other environmentally preferable electronics.

Total Cost of Ownership Modeling

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Modeling is a tool that systematically accounts for the indirect and direct life cycle costs related to an information technology investment decision. FEC resources are available to help Federal facilities evaluate the life cycle costs of their electronics purchases or leases:

• Total Cost of Ownership for Electronics
  This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about Total Cost of Ownership modeling. TCO modeling can help you meet federal requirements and reduce costs.
• Total Cost of Ownership Calculator Tool (Microsoft Excel®)
  The TCO Calculator Tool allows users to compare the costs of different options for the life cycle management of IT equipment with an emphasis on decisions that may have an environmental impact.

ENERGY STAR®, FEMP and EPEAT®

Federal agencies and facilities are required to procure ENERGY STAR qualified, Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) designated, and Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered electronic products. The following resources provide more information about, and sample contract language for, these programs.

• ENERGY STAR and EPEAT for Federal Purchasers
  This fact sheet provides answers to questions from federal employees about the similarities and differences between ENERGY STAR and EPEAT.
• EPEAT for Federal Purchasers
  This fact sheet provides answers to questions from federal employees about EPEAT.
• Model Contract Language for Federal Acquisition of EPEAT - Registered Electronics
  This resource provides model contract language that federal entities can use to specify EPEAT-registered products in acquisition and procurement contracts.
• Guidance for Federal Agencies Preparing to Acquire Imaging Equipment and Televisions
  This resource provides model contract language that federal entities can use to specify EPEAT-registered imaging equipment and televisions in acquisition and procurement contracts.
• See Related Links to the ENERGY STAR, FEMP and EPEAT websites.

Incorporating Environmental Criteria in Federal Electronics Acquisition

• Key Environmental Attributes for Electronics Acquisition
  This document outlines some key environmental attributes to consider when acquiring electronics.
• Product Environmental Information Sheet for Electronics
  Federal organizations may use this Product Environmental Information Sheet (PEIS) to gather environmental product information from manufacturers and vendors.
• Incorporating Environmental Criteria in Federal Electronics Acquisition
  This document outlines how environmental criteria can be incorporated into all phases of the federal procurement process for electronic products.
• Incorporating Electronics Stewardship Goals into Federal Information Technology Leases and Seat Management Contracts
  This document explains how a federal entity can meet its federal electronics stewardship goals when using information technology leases or seat management contracts.
• Understanding Eco-labels for Electronics
  This resource is intended to help federal employees understand eco-labels that may be associated with the electronic products they procure.

The following resources are available to assist you in improving your electronics operation and maintenance practices.

Getting Started

Struggling to improve your electronics operation and maintenance? The following resources can help you assess your current asset management practices; and plan and implement improvements.

• Improving Operation and Maintenance of Electronic Equipment
  This tool will guide you through some simple steps that your facility can take to improve the operation and maintenance of your electronics in three areas: energy conservation and efficiency; efficient use of imaging equipment; and extending product life.
• Compressed Air Dusters and Environmental Concerns
  This fact sheet reviews some of the environmental concerns related to compressed air dusters, which are commonly used to clean electronics.

Energy Conservation

Energy conservation is a crucial component of responsible electronic operation and maintenance. The following resources provide information and guidance on power management and powering down electronics.

• Enabling ENERGY STAR Power Management Features
  This document defines what "enabled" means, with regard to power management of ENERGY STAR qualified monitors and computers, and provides additional information about power management for federal organizations.
• Sample Policy and Guidance Language for Power Management and Powering Down
  This document provides sample language for policies or guidance focused on implementing power management and/or powering down of computers and monitors.
• U.S. Department Of Justice Information Technology Standard Power Management
  This standard provides minimum U.S. Department of Justice requirements for implementing power management features on desktop and laptop computers and monitors. This is an excellent example of a power management policy which outlines roles and responsibilities, implementation guidance, and a limited exemption process.

Duplex Printing and Paper Usage

• Benefits of Automatic Duplexing
  This resource provides a how-to duplex guide, informs the reader on the benefits and cost savings from automatic duplexing, and several off the shelf print management software options for your facility.
• Reducing Paper and Printer Ink Usage
  This resource outlines document and printer settings that may be used to reduce paper and printer ink and toner.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8 Reducing Desktop Printers and Improving Print Management

• EPA Region 8 has implemented a desktop printer reduction policy and deployed new print management software to track printing practices.  The following documents were used to outline the business case for these activities and notify users of changes.
  • EPA Region 8, Business Case for Reducing Desktop Printers
  • EPA Region 8, Desktop Printers Memo and Order
  • EPA Region 8, Memo on Desktop Printer Ink Cartridges Policy and Voluntary Printer Turn-in
  • EPA Region 8, Memo on Print Management Software
• U.S. Department of State Printing Policy
  This policy and accompanying memo establishes the U.S. Department of State's policy on desktop printing, copying, scanning, print-related purchasing practices, and paper use. It contains exemplary language on duplexing, printer and paper acquisition, and network printing.
• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Paper Reduction and Duplex Implementation Requirements Memo
  This memo outlines an implementation strategy for enabling duplex printing and copying at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.
• Automation of Duplex Printer Process Flow Diagram
  The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation developed this flow diagram to outline their process for automatically enabling duplexing across their network using a Windows Group Policy Object and a collection of Visual Basic scripts.
• How to Print a Confidential Document Using a PIN Code
  This document outlines, with screenshots, how to send and print a confidential print job. The ability to print confidential jobs enables users with sensitive printing needs to utilize network printers.

Extending the Life of Equipment

• Extending the Life of Electronic Equipment
  This resource provides guidance to federal agencies and facilities on extending the life of electronic equipment in use at their organization.
• Sample Policy and Guidance Language for Electronic Equipment Refresh Cycles
  This is an example of a federal policy requiring a specific refresh cycle for personal computers.

The following resources are available to assist you in improving your electronics end-of-life practices.

Getting Started

Not sure how to handle electronics when their useful life is over? The following resources can help you plan for end-of-life activities.

• Overview of GSA Personal Property Disposal Process for Federal Electronics
  This document provides an overview of the General Services Administration's (GSA) federal personal property disposition guidelines and requirements for used federal electronics.
• Federally-Owned Electronics at End-of-Life
  This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about federal electronics end-of-life management.
• Packaging Used Electronics for Transportation
  This document provides step-by-step instructions for packaging electronic equipment being sent out for reuse or recycling.
• Media Sanitization Considerations for Federal Electronics at End-of-Life
  This resource provides an overview of media sanitization considerations for federal electronics at end-of-life.
• Sample Policy and Guidance Language for Federal Media Sanitization
  This resource provides sample federal policy and guidance language for media sanitization of federal electronic equipment.

Reuse and Donation

Reuse and donation programs ensure that useful electronics are provided for beneficial purposes. The following resources provide information on federal reuse and donation opportunities and requirements, as well as educational materials for the recipients of your electronics.

• Reuse of Federal Electronic Equipment
  This document outlines reuse and donation options for managing excess and surplus federal electronic property.
• Preparing to Transfer or Donate Used Federal Electronic Equipment
  This information sheet can help federal agencies and facilities prepare to transfer or donate their used electronic equipment to eligible recipients.
• CFL Instructions for Property Managers (PDF) (14 pp, 1.1 MB)
  This resource, developed by GSA’s Computers for Learning (CFL) program, provides instructions for completing CFL transactions through GSAXcess®.
• Fact Sheet for Recipients of Donated Federal Electronic Equipment | Microsoft Word ® (2 pp, 386 KB)
  This one-page fact sheet (see page 2) can be provided to recipients of your used electronics equipment, to educate them about recycling options.

Recycling

Electronics have large quantities of reusable materials which can be extracted for valuable use. Electronics also have hazardous materials which may pose a threat to the environment and human health, if not disposed of properly. The following resources will help you develop an electronics recycling program and select a reputable electronics recycler.

• Recycling of Federal Electronic Equipment
  This document outlines recycling options for disposing of obsolete federal electronic equipment.
• Preparing to Recycle Used Federal Electronic Equipment
  This information sheet can help federal agencies and facilities prepare to recycle their used electronics.
• Checklist for Selection of an Electronics Recycler
  This checklist is designed to aid federal organizations in the initial evaluation of an electronics recycler. This checklist will guide you in answering some basic questions about an electronics recycler and can be completed over the phone.
• Guidelines for On-Site Reviews of Electronics Recyclers
  This tool is designed to aid federal organizations through an on-site review of an electronics recycler. This form will guide you in answering questions about an electronics recycler practices and may be completed at a recycler's facility.
• Best Practices for Conducting an On-Site Review of an Electronics Recycler
  This resource, developed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration - Laredo District Office, identifies best practices for conducting an efficient and effective on-site review of an electronics recycler using the Guidelines for On-site Reviews linked above.

The following federal resources are available to help you implement best practices in your data center.

General Information

• National Data Center Energy Efficiency Information Program
  EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) have a joint national data center energy efficiency information program. The program coordinates activities from the DOE Industrial Technologies Program Save Energy Now initiative, the DOE Federal Energy Management Program, and the EPA ENERGY STAR program.
• Saving Energy in Data Centers
  The Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) provides tools and resources to help data center owners and operators benchmark data center energy use, identify opportunities to reduce energy, and adopt energy efficient practices.
• Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), Data Center Energy Efficiency
  FEMP supports data center efficiency initiatives by encouraging Federal agencies to adopt best practices, construct energy-efficient data centers, and educate energy managers and information technology professionals.
  • Resources on Data Center Energy Efficiency
    FEMP provides resources on general best practices, power supplies, servers and storage, cooling systems, metrics and benchmarking.
  • Center for Expertise for Energy Efficiency in Data Centers
    The Department of Energy-led CENTER of EXPERTISE (CoE) demonstrates national leadership in decreasing the energy use of data centers. The CoE partners with key influential public and private stakeholders.
• ENERGY STAR Data Center Energy Efficiency Initiatives
  EPA's ENERGY STAR program works to identify ways in which energy efficiency can be measured, documented, and implemented in data centers.
  • ENERGY STAR Data Center Product Specifications
    ENERGY STAR is developing energy efficiency performance specifications for a suite of products used in data centers. ENERGY STAR currently has a specification for enterprise servers and is in the process of developing specifications for data center storage and uninterruptible power supplies. EPA is also planning to develop a specification for data center networking equipment.
  • ENERGY STAR Data Center Energy Performance Rating
    The ENERGY STAR buildings program has developed an energy performance rating for data centers to help energy managers assess how efficiently their buildings use energy, relative to similar buildings nationwide. Organizations can obtain energy performance ratings through Portfolio Manager, an online interactive energy management tool, and top performing buildings are eligible to qualify for the ENERGY STAR label.
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Data Centers
  LBNL provides technical support and research related to data center energy efficiency for public and private entities, and is supporting international efforts in data center efficiency.

Best Practices

• Federal Energy Management Program, Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Data Center Design (PDF) (28 pp, 899 KB)
  This Guide provides an overview of best practices for energy-efficient data center design which spans the categories of Information Technology (IT) systems and their environmental conditions; data center air management; cooling and electrical systems; on-site generation; and heat recovery.
• High Performance Data Centers, Resources (63 pp, 2.5 MB)
  Based upon benchmark measurements of operating data centers and input from practicing designers and operators, these Design Guidelines are intended to provide a set of efficient baseline design approaches for data center systems.
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Best Practices
  LBNL provides a comprehensive outline of 67 data center best practices, categorized by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) air delivery; HVAC water systems; power systems; IT equipment; and cross-cutting miscellaneous issues.
• Recommendations for Measuring and Reporting Overall Data Center Efficiency, Version 1 – Measuring PUE at Dedicated Data Centers (12 pp, 285 KB)
  These recommendations for a consistent and repeatable measurement strategy that allows data center operators to monitor and improve the energy efficiency of their facilities was developed by a task force of public and private entities.
• Quick Start Guide to Increase Data Center Energy Efficiency (2 pp, 943 KB)
  This quick start guide was developed by the U.S. General Services Administration and the Federal Energy Management Program.

Tools and Training

• Data Center Awareness Training (Look for "ASHRAE/DOE Data Center Energy Efficiency Workshop")
  The U.S. Department of Energy and ASHRAE have jointly developed a full day data center awareness training curriculum. This training can be hosted by various government, utility, or industry organizations and is taught by ASHRAE and/or LBNL trainers.
• Data Center Energy Practitioner Program (DCEP)
  The U.S. Department of Energy's DCEP program trains professionals to perform accurate energy assessments in data centers.
• DC Pro Software Tool Suite
  The U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) DC Pro software helps organizations identify and evaluate energy efficiency opportunities in data centers.
• Portfolio Manager
  ENERGY STAR's Portfolio Manager tool can be used to benchmark data center energy use and to receive ENERGY STAR recognition for top performing data centers.
• Cloud.gov
  The U.S. General Services Administration's source for cloud computing applications, including business apps, productivity apps, social media apps, and cloud IT services.

Federal agencies and facilities are making great progress in meeting their electronics stewardship goals. The case studies on this page detail activities undertaken by federal facilities to improve their electronics and data center management.

• U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Electronics Lifecycle Management
  NREL implemented and maintains a complete electronics lifecycle management program which addresses federal requirements for electronics purchasing, use and disposition.
• EPA, Region 6: Printer Consolidation
  Region 6 analyzed the environmental and financial impact of their printers and implemented a strategy for printer consolidation that resulted in significant environmental and financial benefits.
• U.S. Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration: Power Management Implementation (PDF)
  BPA applied an enterprise power management solution to all eligible computers that was cost, time and labor effective.
• U.S. Department of Defense, Air Force: ENERGY STAR Purchasing and Power Management (PDF) (2 pp, 315 KB)
  The Air Force established and implemented new procurement and power management guidelines for computers and monitors.
• U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Saving Energy with Desktop and Data Center Improvements
  NREL implemented a number of energy saving activities in order to reduce energy use in both their desktop and data center environments.
  • NREL Research Support Facility (RSF) Documentary (YouTube)
• U.S. Department of Energy, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory: Data Center Improvements
  PPPL implemented improvements to both hardware computing systems and the supporting cooling infrastructure in their Computing Center.
• U.S. Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratory, New Mexico: Evaluating Desktop and Network Printing
  SNL, New Mexico quantified the costs associated with individual desktop printing devices, for comparison with costs associated with using networked copiers as printers.
• EPA, Region 8: Data Center Consolidation and Virtualization
  Region 8 implemented a best-in-class, "Green" Information Technology Data Center which has significantly reduced its impact on the environment.

The electronics benefits calculators were developed to assist organizations in estimating the cost and environmental benefits of greening their purchase, use, and disposal of electronic products. The calculators help measure and report the benefits gained from purchasing electronic products covered by the EPEAT ecolabel. They also contain features for calculating environmental benefits from extending the life of a product, reuse, donation or recycling of the product at the end of life.  

In 2018, The Global Electronics Council (GEC) developed benefits calculators for mobile phones, servers, and computers and displays (purchased 2019 or later) and they now maintain the EPA developed calculators for imaging equipment, televisions, and computers and displays (purchased before 2019). Please visit GEC's Benefits Calculator website to gain access to these calculators. If you would like to calculate the benefits from computer & display products purchased before 2019, please contact PurchaserResouces@greenelectronicscouncil.org.

Resources

Data Sources and Java Code Referenced in the Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator
This page includes all the data sources and Java Code referenced in the computers (purchased before 2019), imaging equipment and televisions calculators. These data sources provide explanations for baseline assumptions and for calculating the results by individual criterion. This page also provides the data used to calculate the bronze, silver and gold EPEAT levels. Life Cycle Assessment data can also be found here. Last updated December 28, 2017.