Updated certification for IT equipment again restricts halogenated substances and authorises safer PIN FRs. The TCO Certified Generation9, the health, environment and worker protection label for office and home electronics, is updated to further address sustainability of raw material supply, circularity and lifetime extension, as well as now covering chemicals used in IT manufacture (not only chemicals present in the final product). The updated criteria exclude all halogenated FRs in some parts (e.g. housing parts and power PCB for displays, computers, etc.), excludes certain brominated FRs from all parts (PBB, PBDE, HBCDD) and specifically authorises PN FRs which have been independently assessed as safer alternatives (by GreenSreen® score 2, 3 or 4). Twenty-two PIN FRs are thus currently authorised by TCO as “Accepted Safer Substances” including FRs based on phosphorus, melamine, ammonium, aluminium, magnesium and siloxane/silicone.
“Updated criteria give purchasers more influence in the IT supply chain”, TCO, 23 February 2022 https://tcocertified.com/news/updated-criteria-give-purchasers-more-influence-in-the-it-supply-chain
TCO Certified criteria documents https://tcocertified.com/criteria-documents/
“Safer alternatives to hazardous substances”, “TCO Certified Accepted Substance List” https://tcocertified.com/industry/accepted-substance-list/