For the
first time, IT purchasers can now search for and compare technology hardware
based on energy efficiency, as designated by the internationally recognized
ENERGY STAR rating system. Today’s announcement builds on Softchoice’s recent
launch of the world’s first fully searchable EPEAT (Electronic Product
Environmental Assessment Tool) product registry and the Company’s
comprehensive Sustain-Enable strategy. These initiatives reflect Softchoice’s
commitment to becoming North America’s leading enabler of sustainable IT
practices.
“There have been huge strides in making IT products more energy
efficient, but when it comes to making informed, environmentally responsible
purchasing decisions, we’re seeing a lot of confusion in the market,” said
David MacDonald, Softchoice President and CEO.
“Today’s announcement is about
making it easier for IT buyers to find and evaluate ENERGY STAR certified
products in a straightforward, practical way.”
The ENERGY STAR program is supported by leading government agencies from
across North America. Certified products – including desktop computers,
laptops, printers and scanners – use less energy overall to perform standard
tasks and incorporate power management features that allow devices to enter
low-power sleep mode when inactive. Visitors to Softchoice.com can now search
more than 2000 certified ENERGY STAR products and compare their results based
on price, as well as dozens of performance criteria, including memory, hard
drive size, processor speed and more.
Today’s environmentally-friendly IT products are highly competitive in
terms of price and performance. “Given that office equipment is the fastest
growing consumer of electricity in commercial buildings, these products offer
the added value of significantly reducing operational expenses as well as
curbing global greenhouse gas emissions,” said Greener Computing.
The addition of ENERGY STAR search and compare functionality complements
the EPEAT product registry introduced on www.softchoice.com in April of 2008.
EPEAT technologies meet the requirements of the ENERGY STAR certification, in
addition to 23 required and 28 optional environmental criteria. Based on three
tiers of environmental performance – Bronze, Silver and Gold – key benchmarks
include refraining from the use of toxic materials in the manufacturing
process, product longevity, energy conservation, and ease of recycling.
“It’s encouraging to see Softchoice offering customers energy efficient
options to reduce their CO2 emissions,” said Bill Weihl, Google’s
representative to the Climate Savers Computing Initiative Board of Directors.
“IT suppliers like Softchoice can make a real difference in driving green IT
adoption.”
