LAS VEGAS, Nevada, January 11, 2009 (ENS) – Products introduced at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show demonstrate that the promise of more environmentally friendly consumer electronics is becoming a reality.

The four-day show reached its finale today with more than 2,700 exhibitors introducing the latest in digital entertainment, high-performance audio, TV, imaging, electronic gaming and communications equipment. From thin, thinner, and thinnest designs; to manufacturing, packaging and recycling, the industry is moving towards greener technologies.

Sony announced the availability of the industry’s first Organic Light Emitting Diode, or OLED, television in the United States. The 11-inch XEL-1 model is just three millimeters thin and offers picture quality with high contrast, exceptional color reproduction, and rapid response time.

Sony’s XEL-1 OLED television (Photo courtesy Sony)

The OLED display panel uses very low power levels since the light-emitting structure of the panel eliminates the need for a separate light source. Since OLED displays create their own light, any mercury associated with traditional backlighting is eliminated. The XEL-1 OLED is now available for about $2,500.

In his keynote address, Sir Howard Stringer, chairman and CEO of Sony Corporation, said he recognizes how closely linked Sony’s business activities are to environmental issues across all Sony divisions.

Sony Electronics is striving to create the ultimate closed loop product life cycle, Stringer said, using recycled materials, innovating production processes, building energy efficient products, and increasing the ease of recycling to reinforce Sony’s commitment to sustainability and consideration for the environment.

Hitachi introduced the Ultra Thin LCD – a high definition liquid crystal display monitor with a profile of just 1.37 inches – minimizes its impact on the environment with specs that contribute to energy saving and carbon dioxide reduction in household use as well as packing and shipping logistics.

Hitachi says it has reduced its use of chemical substances monitored by the Japanese chemical standards body, J-Moss.

Philips introduced “The Ultimate Thin & Slim Eco TV,” designed with a power-saving feature enabled by the backlight dimming technology which is designed to dim down the LCD panel backlight to reduce the power consumption while maintaining a clear, brilliant picture.

Motorola’s Moto W233 Renew (Photo courtesy Motorola)

Motorola showcased the Moto W233 Renew, the first mobile phone with a protective housing made from recycled plastic water bottles.

For this first certified carbon neutral cell phone, Motorola has arranged with Carbonfund.org to offset the amount of energy needed to manufacture, distribute and operate the phones through investments in renewable energy sources, including the New Bedford Landfill Methane project, and reforestation.

“Today, natural resources, energy and time are more precious than ever before,” said Jeremy Dale, corporate vice president, marketing, Motorola mobile devices. “From the product’s design, to the packaging to our partnership with Carbonfund.org, we wanted to ensure that this device makes the right impact with consumers and the environment.”

The new phones are available from AT&T starting Tuesday. A postage-paid recycling envelope in the box makes it easy to return a previous mobile phone for recycling at no cost.

Many companies are slimming down their products, designing them to be energy efficient and using renewable materials – such the speakers from Taiwan’s Medien Technology with cabinets made of quick-growing bamboo instead of wood.

Fuji showed its new eco-friendly, high performance EnviroMAX Battery line. These alkaline batteries contain no cadmium, lithium or polyvinyl chloride, and no ozone-depleting compounds are emitted during manufacture.

EnviroMAX batteries are made with recycled materials, and are packaged in recycled or recyclable materials. Fuji calls them “landfill safe.”

CES attendees entranced by the latest Sony PlayStation (Photo courtesy Sony)

On the show’s Knowledge Track, the Greener Gadgets session Saturday featured Jeff Omelchuck, the founder and director of the Green Electronics Council and the executive director of EPEAT, the independent third party green certification system for electronics. EPEAT is used by the U.S. and Canadian federal governments, many states and provinces, and large corporate purchasers to specify green electronics on their purchase contracts.

Omelchuck says purchaser demand for green has created a $60 billion market reward for the more than 30 corporations that use the EPEAT system, including HP, Dell, Lenovo, Apple, Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and dozens of smaller manufacturers around the world. These companies have registered over 1,000 laptops, desktops, and monitors in EPEAT.

In 2009 EPEAT will expand to provide country-specific registries of greener electronics in 38 countries including Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the United States. In 2010 EPEAT will expand to include printers, copiers and televisions.

The Consumer Electronics Show itself began using greener practices in 2008 for the first time in its 40 year history, and was even greener this year.

“We were able to get nearly 75 percent of the materials used on the show site to be recyclable, biodegradable products,” from cleaning solvents to concession supplies, said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, events, with the Consumer Electronics Association.

The Canon display at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (Photo by Stephen Leung)

Chupka, who describes herself as “a green skeptic,” says she has found environmentally-friendly things the show can do that make sense and satisfy the demands of legislators, bureaucrats and environmentalists pressuring the industry.

Demonstrators from the the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, appeared at the CES dressed as “TV zombies” to showcase their concern about the millions of TVs that will become obsolete on February 17, 2009, when the government-mandated switch from analog to digital TV signal takes effect.

Activists dressed as “undead TV zombies” criticized electronics manufacturers for their reluctance to take back and safely recycle their used products, although the digital conversion is just a month away.

“CES is all about the electronics industry convincing consumers to replace their old gadgets with the newest, coolest thing,” said Robin Schneider, the executive director of the Texas Campaign for the Environment, and vice chair of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. “But at CES you won’t hear much about what consumers should do with the old products they tossed aside.”

“We think that as long as these electronic products contain toxic materials, the company that makes the product should take it back and recycle it in a responsibly when the consumer is done with it,” said Schneider. “Until they do, we’ll just see more and more TV zombies – old TVs tossed into the landfills.”

“Our industry is always under great scrutiny for everything from energy efficiency to the recycling of our products,” Chupka says. “No one wants to see a dump filled with old computers that could have been given to a village in Africa. And when analog television signals turn off next February, many are concerned about disposal of old TVs.”

A small corner of the Consumer Electronics Show floor (Photo credit unknown)

“Our exhibitors are trying to be very proactive in setting green policies, improving energy efficiency, recycling and scrutinizing their manufacturing processes,” she said. “So it’s important that as the show that represents the industry, we take that step, too.”

She says that this year the show improved its environmental performance.

The show’s official services contractor, GES, runs 95 percent of their equipment on natural gas. GES offers eco-friendly booth packages to help exhibitors make small changes that add up to a big difference. Exhibits can employ insert panels that use wood certified as sustainably harvested by the Forest Stewardship Council, shelves and counters made from formaldehyde-free particle board, and eco-friendly carpet. Trash cans and liners were biodegradable.

The main venue, the Las Vegas Convention Center, uses more efficient Energy Star lighting systems.

Chupka says the show no longer prints and mails 40-page conference brochures. In 2008, the show went to a virtual brochure, accessible online. “It’s great because it’s like a living brochure – it can be updated daily with new speakers and sessions. And we saved 200,000 brochures from the waste stream, not to mention what we saved in costs on printing and postage,” she said.

Consumer Electronics Show attendees, who come to Las Vegas from over 140 countries, can conduct a year’s worth of business in one location, minimizing travel and saving energy and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions, Chupka points out.

“Each of our attendees has an average of 12 meetings while at CES and approximately 1.7 million meetings are conducted in total,” she said.

“CES attendees avoid over 700 million miles of business travel, she says, “enough to travel from the Earth to the Sun seven times.”

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YONKERS, New York, September 3, 2008 (ENS) – Lax standards and out-of-date test protocols that are not independently verified weaken the federal Energy Star program used to identify energy efficient appliances, according to a report in the latest issue of “Consumer Reports” magazine published Tuesday.

This Energy Star logo is found on
products listed as energy efficient
by the federal government.

“The percent of products that qualify for Energy Star is increasing because standards are too easy to reach and federal test procedures haven’t kept pace with new technology,” the report states.

Energy Star is a 16 year old voluntary program administered by the Energy Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that covers more than 50 product categories such as lighting, home electronics, office equipment, and home heating and cooling. The program establishes nationwide guidelines and uses a logo that identifies energy-efficient products.

In a statement Tuesday, the EPA says it “stands by the integrity of the Energy Star program.”

But the report points out that to qualify, companies self-certify that their products comply with the standards. The Energy Department does not test products for compliance with Energy Star standards, and often there is no independent verification of what manufacturers report, Consumers Reports states.

Qualifying Energy Star appliances and consumer electronics should use about 10 to 25 percent less than the Energy Department’s maximum allowed amount for that category.

Tests conducted by the magazine’s staff found the energy consumption claims reported on some products’ EnergyGuide label to “understate significantly” what consumers are likely to experience.

The Samsung RF267ABRS refrigerator (Photo
courtesy Samsung)

Consumer Reports’ comparative energy tests of refrigerators, which the magazine says are tougher than the Energy Department’s and better resemble how consumers use refrigerators, found five Energy Star models – three from LG and two from Samsung – whose annual energy consumption would likely be far greater than that claimed on their EnergyGuide labels.

For example, “Consumer Reports” found that the Samsung RF267ABRS, a refrigerator with French doors and through-the-door ice and water dispensers, used 890-kilowatt-hours per year – a number higher than the 540 kWh annual consumption claimed under the less rigorous Energy Star Program.

There was an even larger difference between company claims and Consumer Reports’ more-demanding test measurements for the LG LMX25981ST French-door fridge. LG claims it uses 547 kWh per year, but Consumer Reports’ tests found that real-life energy use would be more than double.

In the case of the LG models, the Energy Star protocol allows for the ice maker to be turned off during testing, resulting in the ice melting. Consumer Reports believes that consumers would not turn off the icemaker, and that appears to be a primary reason for the discrepancy between the Energy Star and Consumer Reports’ test results.

According to the EPA, about 25 percent of products in a category should qualify for Energy Star. But until recently, for example, 92 percent of all dishwashers qualified. Under a tighter standard, about 50 percent now qualify. A high number of residential-use oil-fired boilers, 67 percent, and dehumidifiers, 60 percent, also qualify for the program, the report states

Another logo used in the government’s Energy
Star marketing campaign

In a statement Tuesday, the EPA calls the “Consumer Reports” article “misleading.”

The agency says the magazine “confuses” three different programs run by the federal government that address energy use and energy efficiency of energy-using products – the minimum standards program operated by the Energy Department, the EnergyGuide label overseen by the Federal Trade Commission, and the Energy Star labeling program.

“The Consumer Reports article misses the basic point of the Energy Star program,” says the EPA. “Energy Star is designed to help consumers find energy-efficient products that will cost-effectively help save them money and help them protect the environment.”

“Last year alone, the program prevented 40 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions while saving Americans more than $16 billion on their utility bills,” the federal agency said.

“Consumer Reports” criticizes the three year time period it usually takes the Department of Energy to publish new rules – a period that includes comments from manufacturers, organizations such as Consumers Union, and others. It takes another three years for the updated standards to take effect.

“Input into the rule-making process by those who have a vested interest in easy-to-meet standards, such as manufacturers, can also dilute those standards,” the report states.

Consumers Union, the organization that publishes the “Consumer Reports” magazine, recommends more frequent reviews of testing procedures and standards and suggests that testing procedures be brought in line with new technologies. The government should also require independent verification of test results, the report recommends.

Federal officials need to better police companies and enforce standards with spot checks of Energy Star-qualified products, says the Consumers Union, and the report suggests that the program should consider a graded qualifying system that uses letters.

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AUSTIN, Texas, March 26, 2008 (ENS) – To spread the gospel of energy efficiency, the state of Texas is making Memorial Day weekend a tax holiday for many Energy Star products.

Texas shoppers get a break from state and local sales and use taxes on purchases of certain energy efficient products from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 24 through 11:59 pm on Monday, May 26, which is Memorial Day.

The products qualifying for the exemption are:

* air conditioners priced under $6,000, both room and central units
* clothes washers, but not clothes dryers
* ceiling fans
* dehumidifiers
* dishwashers
* light bulbs (incandescent and fluorescent)
* programmable thermostats
* refrigerators priced under $2,000

Tax savings can mount up. State Sales and Use Tax is imposed on all retail sales, leases and rentals of most goods, as well as taxable services. Texas cities, counties, transit authorities and special purpose districts have the option of imposing an additional local sales tax for a combined total of state and local taxes of 8 1/4 percent.

The Energy Star logo will identify
products that qualify for
the tax holiday

Qualifying products will display the Energy Star logo, which may appear on the appliance, the packaging or the Energy Guide label.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Earning the Energy Star means a product meets energy efficiency guidelines set by these two federal agencies.

There is no limit on the number of qualifying items one can purchase during this sales tax holiday, and an exemption certificate is not required.

The tax-free holiday also applies to Internet and catalog sales of eligible products, provided that the items are both paid for and delivered to the purchaser during the exemption period; or the purchaser orders and pays for the item and the retailer accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period. Layaway plans can be used to take advantage of the sales tax holiday.

Delivery, shipping, handling or transportation charges connected to the sale of a qualifying item purchased tax free during the sales tax holiday also qualify for the exemption.

Charges for installation of qualifying items purchased during the sales tax holiday may qualify for exemption depending on whether the items are permanently attached to or installed in real property and whether the realty is residential or nonresidential.

Items that are free-standing or mobile, such as clothes washers, dehumidifiers, refrigerators, portable dishwashers and window or room air conditioning units are tangible personal property. If an item retains its identity as tangible personal property after installation, then installation charges billed by the seller of the item also qualify for the sales tax holiday exemption – even if the installation is performed after the holiday period is concluded.

Labor charges are not taxable on new construction and residential repair and remodeling jobsites. Therefore, no tax is due on charges for installing items such as ceiling fans, programmable thermostats or central air conditioning units in residential property or during a new construction project.

Sellers may not advertise or in any way promise to pay or not charge sales tax that is due on the sale of taxable items. Sellers may, however, advertise that tax is included in the sales price of the taxable items that they sell.

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WASHINGTON, DC, March 17, 2008 (ENS) – Next year, clothes washers that are much more efficient than current appliances will be coming on the market. The new washers will have to use less water than those now on sale, and they also must be more energy efficient.

As of July 1, 2009, manufacturers will have to make their washers meet a higher standard if they want to qualify the appliances to carry the government’s Energy Star® label.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formed in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based program that seeks to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency.

“The Energy Star program provides consumers with greater options for purchasing energy efficient products to save money and energy,” said Andy Karsner, the Energy Department’s assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy

“More stringent Energy Star criteria for clothes washers … means more consumers can make smart energy choices and help further the nation’s goal of increasing efficiency and energy productivity, resulting in significant energy savings and greater economic competitiveness,” he said.

This Energy Star qualified Whirlpool washer
will be held to a stricter standard come
July 2009. (Photo courtesy Whirlpool)

The new requirements for clothes washers carrying the Energy Star label will take effect in two phases.

In order to qualify, clothes washers must be a minimum of 43 percent more efficient than current federal energy efficiency standards with a maximum Water Factor of 7.5, as of July 1, 2009.

The Water Factor measures water efficiency and is calculated as gallons of water used per cubic foot of capacity – the lower the Water Factor, the more efficient the clothes washer.

Then in the second phase, from January 1, 2011, clothes washers must be a minimum of 59 percent more efficient than current federal energy efficiency standards with a maximum Water Factor of 6.0.

After the 2011 criteria change for clothes washers, consumers across the country are expected to save a total of $120 million on utility bills annually.

The Energy Department calculates buyers will also save 11.2 billion gallons of water, and 659 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year.

The agency projects that 1.9 million Energy Star qualified clothes washers built to the new criteria will be sold the first year they are available, saving Americans up to $92.4 million annually on their water and utility bills.

Currently, clothes washers qualified to the Energy Star standard use 75 percent less energy than clothes washer models manufactured in 1980. The current Energy Star criteria for clothes washers, last modified in January 2007, were drafted with input from stakeholders and public review and comment.

To learn more about Energy Star®, and to view the revised program requirements, visit [url]www.EnergyStar.gov[/url] or call 1-888-STAR-YES.

There are at least 225 models of clothes washers on the U.S. market that meet the current Energy Star criteria, made by 27 different manufacturers.

For a complete list of Energy Star qualified washers, click here [www.energystar.gov].

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