COMMISSION DECISION
of 9 June 2011
on establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for personal computers
(notified under document C(2011) 3737)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2011/337/EU)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the EU Ecolabel (1), and in particular Article 8(2) thereof,
After consulting the European Union Eco-labelling Board,
Whereas:
(1)
Under Regulation (EC) No 66/2010, the EU Ecolabel may be awarded to those products with a reduced environmental impact during their entire lifecycle.
(2)
Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 provides that specific EU Ecolabel criteria are to be established according to product groups.
(3)
Commission Decision 2001/686/EC (2) has established ecological criteria and the related assessment and verification requirements for personal computers. Following the review of the criteria set out in that Decision, Commission Decision 2005/341/EC (3) has established revised criteria which are valid until 30 June 2011.
(4)
Those criteria have been further reviewed in the light of technological developments. In addition, in 2006, the agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the European Community (hereinafter ‘the Agreement’), approved by Council Decision 2006/1005/EC (4), as amended by Decision 2010/C 186/1 of 12 August 2009 of the Management entities under the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the European Community on the coordination of energy-efficiency labelling programmes for office equipment on the revision of the computer specifications in Annex C, part VIII, to the Agreement (hereinafter ‘Energy Star v5.0’) (5) was concluded setting out the criteria for Energy Star.
(5)
Those new criteria, as well as the related assessment and verification requirements, should be valid for three years from the date of adoption of this Decision.
(6)
Decision 2005/341/EC should be replaced for reasons of clarity.
(7)
A transitional period should be allowed for producers whose products have been awarded the Ecolabel for personal computers on the basis of the criteria set out in Decision 2005/341/EC, so that they have sufficient time to adapt their products to comply with the revised criteria and requirements. Producers should also be allowed to submit applications based on the criteria set out in Decision 2005/341/EC or on the criteria set out in this Decision until the lapse of validity of that Decision.
(8)
The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The product group ‘personal computers’ shall comprise: desktop computers, integrated desktop computers, thin clients, displays and keyboards (as a stand alone item) as defined in Article 2.
Notebook computers, small-scale servers, workstations, gaming consoles and digital picture frames shall not be considered personal computers for the purpose of this Decision.
Article 2
For the purpose of this Decision, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)
‘computer’ means a device which performs logical operations and processes data, is capable of using input devices and computer displays, and includes a central processing unit (CPU) to perform operations. For the purpose of this Decision, computers shall only include stationary units, including desktop computers, integrated desktop computers and thin clients.
If a computer, on shipment, includes a monitor, a key board or any other input device these must also comply with the criteria. Keyboards and displays can also apply as a stand alone item;
(2)
‘computer display’ means a display screen and its associated electronics encased in a single housing, or within the computer housing (e.g. integrated desktop computer), that is capable of displaying output information from a computer via one or more inputs, such as a VGA, DVI, display port, and/or IEEE 1394. Examples of computer display technologies are the cathode-ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD);
(3)
‘keyboard’ means a data input device which uses an arrangement of push-buttons, which can be used to insert discrete data into a computer;
(4)
‘external power supply’ means a component contained in a separate physical enclosure external to the computer casing and designed to convert line voltage AC input from the mains to lower DC voltage(s) for the purpose of powering the computer. An external power supply must connect to the computer via a removable or hard-wired male/female electrical connection, cable, cord or other wiring;
(5)
‘internal power supply’ means a component internal to the computer casing and designed to convert AC voltage from the mains to DC voltage(s) for the purpose of powering the computer components. For the purposes of this definition, an internal power supply must be contained within the computer casing but shall be separate from the main computer board. The power supply must connect to the mains through a single cable with no intermediate circuitry between the power supply and the mains power. In addition, all power connections from the power supply to the computer components, with the exception of a DC connection to a computer display in an integrated desktop computer, must be internal to the computer casing (i.e. no external cables running from the power supply to the computer or individual components). Internal DC-to-DC converters used to convert a single DC voltage from an external power supply into multiple voltages for use by the computer are not considered internal power supplies;
(6)
‘desktop computer’ means a computer where the main unit is intended to be located in a permanent location, often on a desk or on the floor. Desktops are not designed for portability and utilise an external computer display, keyboard, and mouse. Desktops are designed for a broad range of home and office applications;
(7)
‘integrated desktop computer’ means a desktop system in which the computer and computer display function as a single unit which receives its AC power through a single cable. Integrated desktop computers come in one of two possible forms: (1) a system where the computer display and computer are physically combined into a single unit; or (2) a system packaged as a single system where the computer display is separate but is connected to the main chassis by a DC power cord and both the computer and computer display are powered from a single power supply. As a subset of desktop computers, integrated desktop computers are typically designed to provide similar functionality as desktop systems;
(8)
‘thin client’ means an independently powered computer that relies on a connection to remote computing resources to obtain primary functionality. Main computing (e.g. programme execution, data storage, interaction with other Internet resources, etc.) takes place using the remote computing resources. Thin clients covered by this definition are limited to devices with no rotational storage media integral to the computer. The main unit of a thin client covered by this definition must be intended for location in a permanent location (e.g. on a desk) and not for portability;
(9)
‘discrete graphics processing unit (GPU)’ means a graphics processor with a local memory controller interface and a local, graphics-specific memory.
Article 3
In order to be awarded the EU Ecolabel under Regulation (EC) No 66/2010, an item must fall within the product group ‘personal computers’ as defined in Article 1 of this Decision and must comply with the ecological criteria as well as the related assessment and verification requirements, set out in the Annex to this Decision.
Article 4
The criteria for the product group ‘personal computers’ as well as the related assessment and verification requirements, shall be valid for three years from the date of adoption of this Decision.
Article 5
For administrative purposes the code number assigned to the product group ‘personal computers’ shall be ‘013’.
Article 6
Decision 2005/341/EC is repealed.
Article 7
1. By derogation from Article 6, applications for the EU Ecolabel for products falling within the product group ‘personal computers’ submitted before the date of adoption of this Decision shall be evaluated in accordance with the conditions laid down in Decision 2005/341/EC.
2. Applications for the EU Ecolabel for products falling within the product group ‘personal computers’ submitted from the date of adoption of this Decision but by 30 June 2011 at the latest may be based either on the criteria set out in Decision 2005/341/EC or on the criteria set out in this Decision.
Those applications shall be evaluated in accordance with the criteria on which they are based.
3. Where the Ecolabel is awarded on the basis of an application evaluated in accordance with the criteria set out in Decision 2005/341/EC, that Ecolabel may be used for 12 months from the date of adoption of this Decision.
Article 8
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 9 June 2011.