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User’s Manual 68
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TCO'99-Ecological requirements for personal computers (TCO applied model only)
Congratulations!
You have just purchased a TCO'99 approved and labelled product! Your choice has provided you with a product
developed for professional use. Your purchase has also contributed to reducing the burden on the environment and also
to the further development of environmentally adapted electronics products.
This product meets the requirements for the TCO'99 scheme which provides for an international environmental and
quality labelling labelling of personal computers. The labelling scheme was developed as a joint effort by the TCO(The
Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees), Svenska Naturskyddsforeningen(The Swedish Society for Nature
Conservation), Statens Energimyndighet(The Swedish National Energy Administration) and SEMKO AB.
The requirements cover a wide range of issuse: environment, ergonomics, usability, reduction of electric and magnetic
fields, energy consumption and electrical safety.
Why do we have environmentally labelled computers?
In many countries, environmental labelling has become an established method for encouraging the adaptation of goods
and services to the environment. The main problem, as far as computers and other electronics equipment are concerned,
is that environmentally harmful substances are used both in the products and during their manufacture. Since it is not so
far possible to satisfactorily recycle the majority of electronics equipment, most of these potentially damaging substances
sooner or later enter nature.
There are also other characteristics of a computer, such as energy consumption levels, that are important from the
viewpoints of both the work (internal) and natural (external) environments. Since all methods of electricity generation
have a negative effect on the environment (e.g. acidic and climate-influencing emissions, radioactive waste), it is vital
to save energy. Electronics equipment in offices is often left running continuously and thereby consumes a lot of energy.
What does labelling involve?
The environmental demands has been developed by Svenska Naturskyddsforeningen (The Swedish Society for Nature
Conservation). These demands impose restrictions on the presence and use of heavy metals, brominated and chlorinated
flame retardants, CFCs(freons)and chlorinated solvents, among other things. The product must be prepared for recycling
and the manufacturer is obliged to have an environmental policy which must be adhered to in each country where the
company implements its operational policy.
The energy requirements include a demand that the computer and/or display, after a certain period of inactivity, shall
reduce its power consumption to a lower level in one or more stages. The length of time to reactivate the computer shall
be reasonable for the user.
Below you will find a brief summary of the environmental requirements met by this product. The complete
environmental criteria document may be ordered from:
Regulatory