BEE Verdict: Notebooks to have compulsory Energy Star labels

Green IT' or 'energy
efficiency' are no more corporate buzzwords. They have have finally
got a place in government's platter as well. Bureau of Energy
Efficiency (BEE) has recently conducted a meeting at its West Block-2
office, New Delhi under the chairmanship of Dr Sandeep Garg, Energy
Economist, BEE. The
participants included IT industry body MAIT and channel
associations-TAIT and PCAIT, as well representatives from the
vendors, that include HCL, Wipro and HP. The bureau and the hardware
ecosystem together agreed to initiate labeling program for notebooks
initially on a voluntary basis, till it is made compulsory in next
two years of its rollout. It will be mandatory for all vendors to
provide Energy Star Label, henceforth. BEE will also run an intensive
customer education program on Star Rating, including its importance,
and is expected to advice the Directorate General of Supplies &
Disposals (DGS&D) on all government purchases on notebook computers
to have Star
Rating specified. Tablets and smartphones are currently out of the
purview of Star Rating program.

Speaking to The DQ
Channels, Ashwini Aggarwal, executive director, MAIT said, “We
are announcing labeling program, and have an agreement with the
channel associations like TAIT and PCAIT. This is an exclusive
initiative for notebooks, and we don't want to rush things as of now,
but this program will cover other hardware products on a later
stage.” Aggarwal said that, it is an industry initiative and all
the major vendors that include HP, Dell, HCL, Chirag and Canon have
agreed to it. “We are initially staring with the registration
process for the manufacturers and will cover all the aspects. A final
decision on timeframe will be taken by the ministry,” informed
Aggarwal.

Rothin Bhattacharyya,
executive VP, HCL Infosystems said, that they are ready with their
product line which can satisfy the BEE-Star criteria. “The BEE
initiative is warmly welcomed by environmentally-responsible
companies like HCL Infosystems, as it will enable a level-playing field
in the industry.
Also, given BEE's thrust on educating the consumer on energy
efficiency, we hope to reach out beyond the corporate and government
customers and connecting with individual consumers. We are sure that
HCL Infosystems will be able to translate a win-win situation-both
for consumers and the environment,” Bhattacharyya said.
Bhattacharyya said that, they are of the view that incorporation of
BEE-star in the DGS&D will play a pivotal role in the enhancement
of awareness level for energy
efficient products among all the government bodies. "We adhere
to the 'cradle-to-grave-to-cradle' approach. Right from the
manufacturing stage we make sure that our products meet the European
RoHS directives which translates to non-toxicity of the product.
During the active life, our products consume the optimum energy by
adhering to international Energy-Star criteria as well as
India-specific criteria like BEE-star. At the endof-life, we take the
responsibility of recycling the e-waste hence generated in an
environmentally-friendly manner,” he added.

Mahesh Bhalla, GM-consumer
and SMB, Dell India said that, they believe, that a voluntary scheme
that rewards high performing products in the marketplace provides a
viable solution for implementing energy efficiency measures.
“Manufacturers will need to register themselves and their products
to enroll in the program in compliance with guidance from BEE,” he
said. The program is based on the US Energy Star 5.0 rating. All
products that fall under a certain power usage threshold are eligible
for the program. These products can be affixed with the BEE label and
sold to consumers. The bureau is accepting self-testing and
self-certification of products, which is a step in the right
direction. “The labeling pro-gram is a step in the right direction
to ensure the availability of energy-efficient products to consumers.
Consumers will benefit due to the presence of a neutral and fair body
that measures energy-efficiency of products,” he said. According to
Bhalla, majority of Dell's product are already compliant to the US
Energy Star 5.0 rating system, which automatically makes it compliant
with the BEE Standards & Labeling program. Dell will be
announcing its program readiness shortly.

In 2010, Dell transitioned
all of their new laptop displays to light-emitting diode (LED), which
eliminates the use of mercury. “This technology has already been
incorporated in the Dell Latitude E4200, E4300, E6400, E6400 ATG and
E6500, and we are committed to expanding the list of mercuryfree,
LED-based products in our future offerings,” he said. Bhalla
maintained that, by the end of 2011, all newly introduced Dell
personal computing products will be free of PVC, BFRs and chlorinated
flame
retardants (CFRs). “Since, the government is a major technology
purchaser, owing to the National E-Governance Plan implementation,
National Knowledge Network and several other programs initiated at
both the central and the state level. DGS&D has laid down best
practices that are followed by other government departments and
agencies. BEE Star label adoption by DGS&D would again bring a
neutral and fair body that can test and certify energy-efficient
products,” said Bhalla.

Pallab Talukdar, CEO of
Fujitsu India said that, drawing on a 20-plus year commitment towards
environmental protection, they are focused on Green ICT throughout
the entire product lifecycle-from basic technology research and
development, to product design and operation, and through to
operating recycling services in countries throughout the world. “Our
global green IT initiative, 'Green Policy Innovation', aims at
achieving a cumulative reduction in worldwide CO2 emissions of more
than 15 million tons over the four-year period from fiscal 2009
through fiscal 2012,” he said. Fujitsu Laboratories have already
started measuring the potential carbon reduction effect of all
technologies under development, and during the last fiscal year, more
than half of the new products introduced worldwide by Fujitsu were
awarded 'Super Green' status or three stars under the Green IT
labeling scheme, meeting the company's highest criteria for
environmental consciousness.