The technology industry has been growing rapidly for the past few decades, and it is expected to continue to grow. However, the increasing demand comes at a cost, as the production, use, and disposal of IT products contribute between 2 – 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the UN. In comparison, other major drivers of GHG emissions include road transportation (13%), commercial buildings (7%), and livestock (6%).
This is where TCO Certified comes in—a world-leading sustainability certification for IT products. Founded in Sweden in 1992, TCO Certified has become a leader in promoting sustainability in IT products. Furthermore, TCO Certified is leading the conversation and taking steps to address issues like climate change, circularity, hazardous substances, and social responsibility in manufacturing.
Record-Breaking Certification Achievement
In March 2023, TCO Certified announced a new all-time high in certifying new IT product models, following the launch of TCO Certified generation 9. During the month of March, 122 new product models from 10 brands were certified, representing the highest number of product certifications in a single month since launch. Displays and notebooks were the most popular product categories, followed by desktop computers and headsets.
This achievement highlights the growing importance of sustainable practices, as manufacturers and businesses that use IT products face increasing pressure from both regulators and consumers to raise standards in sustainable procurement.
“This is good news for everyone genuinely wanting to make more sustainable choices. Behind all certificates lie over 10,000 annual hours of developing criteria. Furthermore, each year accredited experts spend over 20,000 hours on product testing and supply chain assessments to ensure compliance and reduce the risk of greenwashing,” says Sören Enholm, CEO at TCO Development.
Tools for Measuring Sustainability Impact
TCO Certified also offers a Report Generator, a dedicated tool that enables organizations to estimate their sustainability impact when using TCO Certified as a benchmark in IT hardware procurement specifications. This means that organizations can make informed decisions about the environmental impact of their IT products.
Currently, over 4,000 products bear the TCO Certified label. These products can be found on the Product Finder on the TCO Certified website, along with relevant information about them, such as recycled plastic and hazardous substance content.
Advancements in TCO Certified Criteria
The IT industry is constantly evolving. As new technologies emerge, it is important to ensure that they are designed with sustainability in mind. To this extent, TCO Certified is committed to staying at the forefront of promoting sustainability by regularly updating its criteria every three years to reflect the latest advancements in design, manufacturing, and technology. The upcoming TCO Certified, generation 10, introduces several new criteria aimed at further enhancing the sustainability of IT products. These include requirements for renewable energy at final assembly sites, stricter chemical controls, and responsible management of parts and materials throughout the supply chain.
Collaborations with Industry Leaders
Leading IT brands, such as Lenovo, have embraced TCO Certified to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. By obtaining TCO Certification for their products, companies like Lenovo not only comply with stringent environmental and social criteria but also meet the growing demand from consumers and businesses for sustainable IT solutions.
Ensuring Compliance through Independent Verification
To maintain the integrity of the certification, TCO Certified collaborates with independent verification organizations, such as Intertek. These organizations conduct comprehensive testing and supply chain assessments to ensure that certified products meet the established criteria. This rigorous verification process helps reduce the risk of greenwashing and ensures that only genuinely sustainable products receive the TCO Certified label.
Expanding Product Categories and Ecolabel Recognition
TCO Certified continues to expand its scope by including a wide range of IT products and accessories, such as monitors, projectors, printers, and headsets. This broad inclusion encourages manufacturers across various product categories to adopt sustainable practices. Additionally, TCO Certified is recognized as a Type 1 ecolabel, adhering to the principles of environmental labeling set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Printers and projectors are among the newest additions that benefit from TCO certification. These categories often present environmental challenges in terms of energy consumption and material waste. By setting criteria that limit energy usage and require design features that support recyclability, TCO Certified is driving significant improvements in how these products are made and used.
Supporting Sustainable Supply Chains
Understanding the importance of sustainable supply chains, TCO Certified emphasizes responsible sourcing and manufacturing processes. The certification requires adherence to criteria that promote environmental management systems, energy efficiency, and the use of safer substances. By doing so, it supports the development of supply chains that are not only efficient but also environmentally and socially responsible. For many certified products, supply chain transparency and risk management are built into the certification framework, ensuring visibility all the way back to raw material extraction.
Enhancing User Experience and Safety
Beyond environmental considerations, TCO Certified places a strong emphasis on user experience and safety. Certified products are evaluated for ergonomic design, ensuring that they meet high standards for visual and physical comfort. This includes assessments of display quality, adjustability, and ease of use, contributing to a healthier and more productive work environment. Additionally, safety criteria address aspects such as electrical safety and emissions, providing users with confidence in the reliability of their certified hardware.
Business Benefits of TCO Certified Products
For businesses, investing in TCO Certified products offers multiple advantages. It aligns procurement practices with corporate sustainability goals, demonstrating a commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Furthermore, the rigorous criteria and independent verification associated with TCO Certified reduce the risk of greenwashing, ensuring that sustainability claims are credible. This can enhance brand reputation, meet stakeholder expectations, and potentially lead to cost savings through improved energy efficiency and product longevity.
Organizations can also use the certification to manage internal sustainability goals more effectively. When IT departments know that products meet third-party verified criteria, they can better manage environmental performance without needing in-house testing capabilities.
Services, Access, and Site Functionality
To support continued performance and customer trust, many certified brands offer services such as repairs, upgrades, and take-back programs. These services align with the values of TCO Certified by reducing waste and encouraging circular use of IT hardware. Offering access to technical documentation and sustainability performance data also improves transparency.
Multilingual access to the certification site in English and other languages allows international users to research certified products and understand the environmental and safety credentials they support. As sustainability becomes a global priority, enabling access to trusted information is essential.
Managing Product Life Cycles and Environmental Responsibility
In line with growing interest in circular economy practices, TCO Certified helps manufacturers manage product life cycles responsibly. Generation 10 includes provisions for serviceability, spare parts availability, and extendable warranties. These features reduce environmental impact while giving users and businesses more control over the long-term usability of their devices.
Information Transparency and Sustainable Preferences
TCO Certified is also committed to transparency by making detailed certification information accessible to procurement officers and end users. The Product Finder database offers reliable data on certified models, including environmental, technical, and safety details. The label has become a key preference in sustainable IT procurement for businesses, governments, and educational institutions around the world.
Regional Adoption and Global Influence
TCO Certified’s influence continues to expand across global markets. Public and private organizations in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific increasingly rely on the certification to guide responsible procurement decisions. As regulatory frameworks in regions like the EU become more aligned with circular economy principles, demand for verified sustainable IT products is rising. TCO Certified supports these shifts by offering a harmonized framework that procurement professionals can trust regardless of location.
The certification has also seen growth in multilingual availability, reflecting its global accessibility. Users can explore certified product data, ecolabel specifications, and verification methodologies in multiple languages, helping to eliminate barriers to adoption in non-English speaking countries.
Integration Into ESG Strategies
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies are now a central focus for businesses, and IT procurement plays a key role in achieving measurable progress. TCO Certified enables ESG alignment by offering tangible proof of responsible supply chain management, safe working conditions, and reduced environmental footprint. By choosing certified products, organizations reinforce commitments to their sustainability frameworks while also meeting investor expectations and stakeholder demands.
Moreover, the structured documentation provided by TCO Certified simplifies ESG reporting. Procurement teams and sustainability officers benefit from having access to independently verified environmental and technical information, which can be incorporated into company reports and annual disclosures.
Looking Ahead
As technology advances and sustainability standards evolve, TCO Certified is expected to remain a key benchmark in the IT industry. By continually refining its criteria and responding to global sustainability challenges, the certification offers a future-ready solution for organizations seeking to combine innovation with environmental and social responsibility.
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TCO Certified sits inside a wider sustainability policy picture. More organisations now write it into procurement policy, naming the label as the minimum bar IT hardware must clear before purchase. That gives buyers a clear, independent criteria set to point to rather than vague green claims.
The criteria themselves cover the full product life, and circularity runs through them. Products are assessed on repairability, the use of recycled materials, and how easily parts can be reused at end of life, all of which feed a more circular flow of IT equipment instead of the usual buy and bin pattern. Environmental management is part of the same checklist.
Manufacturers must run environmental management systems at their factories, control hazardous substances, and show steady environmental improvement over time, not a one-off result. Each claim is checked through independent verification, with accredited testing of products and on-site audits of supply chains. That verification step is what separates a genuine environmental label from marketing, and it is why purchasers can treat a TCO Certified product as a verified choice.
For sustainability and procurement teams, the practical takeaway is simple. A clear policy, real circular criteria, sound environmental management, and independent verification turn good intentions into measurable buying decisions.
