ARTICLE #2

Japan Revises Green Purchasing Policies for ICT

Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has announced that it is collecting proposals for designated procurement items falling under the law on Promoting Green Purchasing.

This initiative follows a move by the Ministry to partly revise this fiscal year its procurement items and evaluation criteria, defined in “the Basic Policy on Promoting Green Purchasing” based on “the law concerning the promotion of Procurement of Eco-friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other entities” (the law on Promoting Green Purchasing).

For reference to the revision, proposals regarding the procurement items regarding public works projects are to be accepted at the MOE.

“Current concerns for global warming and waste management, among other environmental issues, are rooted in the system of production and consumption, which has promoted mass production, mass consumption, and mass waste,” said the Ministry in a report.

“We must immediately reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services that support our lifestyles and economic activities, and promote a shift in demand toward eco-friendly goods,” it added.

The Ministry hopes that boosting the government’s green procurement initiatives will have a priming effect, extending the commitment to local governments and the private sector in fostering the shift in demand towards eco-friendly products in Japan as a whole.

These are the Ministry’s current Evaluation Criteria for procurement of electronic goods:

They (1) shall meet the following standards: a. For server-type computers, energy consumption efficiency does not exceed the number for standard energy consumption efficiency listed. b. For client-type computers, energy consumption efficiency does not exceed the number for standard energy consumption efficiency listed.

(2) Specified chemical substances (lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium (VI) compound,PBB, PBDE) do not exceed the content standard. Content information of relevant chemicals must be easily available on its website, etc.

(3) Equipment and function are simplified for notebook computers used for ordinary administrative tasks.

The following factors are also to be considered:

(1) Design consideration takes into account product life, efficient use of material, reuse of parts, or recycling of raw material, in compliance with evaluation criteria for Standards for the Promotion of Efficient Use of Material.

(2) The operation time of secondary power (battery) is not longer than necessary for notebook computers used for ordinary administrative tasks.

(3) The product makes the maximum use of recycled material taken from a previously used product.

(4) If plastic components are used for either the body or the parts, the item uses as large amount of recycled plastic as possible, or uses vegetable based plastics whose reductive effect of environmental load has been confirmed.

(5) If magnesium alloy is used for either the body or the parts, the item uses as large amount of recycled magnesium alloy as possible.

(6) Packaging is to be as simple as possible and take into account ease of recycling and reduced environmental impact upon disposal. A system for collection and reuse/recycling of packaging is considered.

(7) Accessories including manuals, recovery CD’s etc. is eliminated as much as possible.

SOURCE: Future Gov, by Johanna Morden