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NEC's "Eco Symbol" and "Eco Symbol Star" Environmental Labels

Outline of Eco Symbol

The NEC Eco Symbol is part of an in-house hardware labeling system that was established in December 1998 to help promote the development of environmentally sound products and to provide customers with environmental data on products. Only products that meet NEC's highest environmental standards under this system are awarded the Eco Symbol and are registered as the company's most advanced Eco Products.

The Eco Symbol is a self-declaration type of ISO (International Standards Organization) environmental label (Type II). This is a label that is only put on products that satisfy the criteria set by each manufacturer group or other organization for products in specific fields.

Given changes in market trends, the former Eco Symbol standard (FY 2008 version) was reviewed in FY 2011 and 2012.
The new standard aims to beef up the development power of environmentally sound products and to upgrade NEC's excellence in environmental soundness.

Basic Conditions for Use of Eco Symbol

Eco Symbol logo

  1. Must meet the Eco Product standards as well as the Eco Symbol standards
  2. Must be environmentally superior
  3. Products must be environmentally superior to those of other manufacturers or to those NEC made in the past.
  4. Must assure transparency
  5. Eco Symbol products must provide readily available environmental information to the customer.  

Outline of Eco Symbol Star

Since FY 2009, NEC has developed and continued to operate the "Eco Symbol Star System" to promote the development of environmentally oriented top-runner Eco products (referred to as the products henceforth). This system is positioned at the upper level of the conventional Eco Symbol System and assigns an "Eco Symbol Star" to the products that satisfy the qualification standards as top-runners within NEC and the industry.

Basic Conditions for Use of Eco Symbol Star

Eco Symbol Star logo

  1. Must meet the Eco Product or Eco Software Service standards
  2. Must meet the Eco Symbol standards
  3. Must meet the Eco Symbol Star standards
  4. Must assure transparency

From the Development of the Eco Symbol and Eco Symbol Star Standards to Product Application and Registration

Development of Standard

The Eco Symbol and Eco Symbol Star standards are developed by the Environmental Product Promotion Working Group, which is run by the Environmental Management Promotion Committee. The Environmental Management Promotion Committee is the top deliberative organ for NEC's company-wide environmental strategies and policies.

Eco Symbol and Eco Symbol Star Application and Registration

Applications for the Eco Symbol and Eco Symbol Star are received, approved, and registered through an in-house web system.

Flow for Eco Symbol approval and registration

*Eco Symbol Star products are certified by the Environmental Product Promotion Working Group after deliberating applications received from the divisions.

Eco Symbol Standards

Eco Symbol Conformance Standards (FY 2013 Version): The Eco Symbol standard conformance ratio excluding non-applicable standards must be 55% or higher.

Major CategoryIntermediate CategoryEco Symbol Standards (FY 2013 Version)Items Applicable to All Products
Thinking on life cycle Consideration given to the environmental impact of a product (designation and reduction)  
The concept of LCA is positively and correctly promoted with similar product groups or with applicable products from procurement to disposal. ○
A function to visualize power consumption or CO₂ emissions, such as a carbon meter, is added.  
Preventing global warming Activities for the Mid-Term Environmental Plan The mid-term target has been achieved compared with the basic year (FY 2006) in reduction of product power consumption. ○
Energy-saving design Product power consumption is reduced compared with former products.  
○
New measures or technologies to reduce power consumption are incorporated at the design stage. ○
Conforming to the International Energy Star Program  
Green programs Restricting the use of environmentally harmful substances Parts, products, and packaging materials are procured meeting the guideline requirements set by NEC. ○
Appropriate management of environmentally harmful substances No bromine fire-retardant plastics are used in any plastics used in products including parts. Parts and members are identified when these plastics are used.   
 
Information on materials not permitted to be contained in parts and products, conditionally banned substances, and managed substances designated by NEC among chemical substances used in parts and units comprising products is investigated and managed.  
Resource recycling Resource conservation Designs that are considerate to resource conservation are made, and masses, volumes, or space usage of parts or products are less than 80% compared with former products.  
○
Eco plastics* are used in parts and products, and plastic consumption is recorded and analyzed.
*: Recycled plastics, Eco-polyca (including recycled Eco-polyca), and so on		  
Bioplastics including PLAs and non-PLAs are used in products.  
 
Long term usability Modules, parts, and products are reused. ○
Manuals and packaging materials In the design of packaging materials, the package masses, volumes, and space usage are less than 80%* compared with packaging materials of conventional design.  
Information disclosure Provisioning of environmental information on products A method to set the low-power-consumption mode and usage to curb power consumption is disclosed to the public as a method that is easy to check and in a language that is easy for the customer to understand.  
Advantages over third party products Has obtained Eco labels*2 other than the Type II*1.
*1: An eco label of the self-declaration type conforming to standards unique to NEC Group companies
*2: EPEAT, Eco Mark, Eco Leaf (Japan), Blue Angel (Germany), YOC (Sweden), and so on		  

○:An item that is applicable to all products
There are other items that are not applicable to certain products. Compatibility conditions: Number of Eco Symbol conformance standards/(Number of all Eco Symbol standards - Number of non-applicable standards)≧ 55%

Eco Symbol Star Standards

ItemEco Symbol Star Standards
Preventing global warming Achieve a CO₂ emission reduction rate of 50% or more (compared to the conventional product).
Equipped with technology that is a first within the industry.
Resource recycling  
Uses 80% or more of bioplastics (ratio to the total weight of bioplastics for the frame).
Introduces technology for the first time within the industry or introduces a system with unique and innovative features.
Evaluation External prize is awarded.
Internal prize is awarded.
Internal prize is awarded. Overwhelmingly contributes to a reduction in the environmental impact with NEC's technology.