TCO Certified, a sustainability certification for IT products, announced its plans to expand the TCO Certified Accepted Substance List in 2021 to include process chemicals used in the manufacture of IT products to protect workers in the supply chain. The development comes in view of the 352,000 chemicals and mixtures of chemicals in use currently, of which, an estimated tens of thousands are used in IT products.
“During our near 30 years in sustainable IT, we have seen that banning what’s bad is not enough. It easily turns into a game of cat-and-mouse, where what’s restricted is replaced by something else — which can be just as harmful, or worse. Legislation lags behind, so you need to be one step ahead. And this is where we come in.” says Sören Enholm, CEO of TCO Development, the organization behind TCO Certified.
Hazardous substances used in IT products as well as in the production of IT products present a wide variety of human health and environmental risks. According to a global UN report dated in August 2018, covering all industries, one worker dies every 15 seconds because of exposure to hazardous substances. Over the years, TCO Certified has focused on revolutionizing the use of chemicals in certified IT products by establishing the business-leading list for safer alternatives.
“With our TCO Certified Accepted Substance List we keep dangerous chemicals out of the environment, and by now adding process chemicals to the list we offer a solution to protect workers making certified products.” Sören Enholm continues.
Assessing substances before using them is the only safe way forward. With the TCO Certified Accepted Substance List, a chemical is considered high risk until it is proven to be otherwise. TCO Certified Accepted Substance List is dynamic and listed substances may be reassessed in the light of new scientific findings.
“TCO Certified Accepted Substance List is our contribution to both industry and society at large, as the list is public and available to everyone, regardless of industry or product area.” Sören Enholm concludes.