Every BenQ Display Sports TCO Labeling for Better Work Environments & Stringent Eco-Friendly Standards
Recognized worldwide as an indicator of the highest workplace and eco-friendly standards for IT products, TCO Development labels ensure that a product has conformed to the organization’s stringent “4E” benchmarks:  Ecology, Emissions, Ergonomics and Energy.  The organization’s latest labels for the IT display market today are “TCO’03 Displays” and “TCO’06 Media Displays,” for which all BenQ LCD monitors have been awarded.  In fact, BenQ’s FP241W 24” widescreen monitor was among the world’s first four LCDs – along with monitors from Samsung and Eizo – to bear the newest “TCO’06 Media Displays” label. In cooperation with an international network of researchers, scientists, manufacturers and computer users, TCO Development has for the last two decades been committed to developing some of the strictest environmental and office place standards, exceeding even those mandated by law.    TCO has influenced the design and manufacture of office electronics – such as notebooks, desktops, flat-panel displays and most recently, TV/moving picture displays – towards a more environmentally responsible and pro human-health direction without compromising technological advancement.  The organization’s labels further provide consumers an easy way to identify products that are ecologically and ergonomically preferable. In the IT display sector, the following labels have thus far been issued to date:
For TCO’03 certified flat-panel display products, the following are guaranteed:            Ergonomics: High visual ergonomic requirements for displays, which entails high image quality and excellent color reproduction.  Option to regulate display angle (new in TCO'03 Displays).                                       Emissions:  Considerable reduction of magnetic and electrical fields.  Minimized electrostatic fields.                   Energy:  Low energy consumption for reduced environmental impact.  The energy saving function provides a better indoor climate through reduced heat emission, which results in retained air humidity.                 Ecology:   The manufacturer must be certified according to ISO 14001 / EMAS.  Reduced emission of brominated and chlorinated flame-retardants and heavy metals into the environment (Complies with the RoHS directive from 1 July 2006).  Recycling preparations to facilitate material recycling.  Information on where the displays can be turned in for recycling.   The “TCO’06 Media Displays” label encompasses modified and expanded standards of the “TCO'03 Displays” label, and covers multifunctional displays used for moving pictures and moving graphics.   The label includes three new requirements that measure picture quality in moving pictures, including high visual ergonomics for excellent picture quality and color rendition.  The new label is the latest in TCO Development’s world-leading quality and environmental labeling program, and is a response to live picture usage both at the office and home.
A Brief Background on TCO In the beginning of the 1980s, the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees, also known as Tjänstemännens Centralorganisation (TCO), noticed accelerating health problems among white-collar Swedish workers with many problems related to inadequately designed IT equipment.   By 1992, a system was launched with the mission to develop and manage labeling specification and certifications based on the principles of sustainability, human health, usability and energy efficiency.  The TCO labeling program evolved into a voluntary system for manufacturers and an easy to use visible tool for consumers.  Manufacturers that complied with TCO standards received the advantage and prestige of TCO labeling; purchasers in turn used the labeling to identify IT products that met higher standards of ergonomics and eco-preservation.   The three Swedish organizations that worked in cooperation to develop this system were TCO, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SNF) and the Swedish National Board for Industrial and Technical Development (NUTEK).  Their inspiration came from the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
TCO Contributions to the World Today TCO contributes to sustainable consumption and production trends, and is continually developing tools for analyzing and improving office work places and the natural environment.  The following testify to TCO’s effectiveness and positive environmental impact: o    Emissions of bromated flame retardants has been reduced by 50,000 tons – equivalent to the contents of one entire oil tanker.     o    Approximately 25 million tons of carbon dioxide last year alone were saved due to TCO certificated products – an amount corresponding to almost half of all Swedish emissions.   o    TCO standards exceed mandated RoHS requirements of hazardous material limits, and include DecaBDA which has exhibited neurotoxins affects in mammals.   o    TCO limits the metallization and treatment of plastics to ensure that they are not detrimental to the environment upon recycling.   o    Before a product can be certified TCO, the manufacturer must have the product’s plastic components tested for toxicity and environmental impact   o    The energy savings resulting from the use of energy-efficient screens with an automatic “Shut down” function is estimated at 25 terawatt hours in 2006 alone, corresponding to the annual production of four normal-sized Swedish nuclear reactors.   TCO Development and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program have agreed on a new standardized method of measuring energy consumption in on-mode, and have established standardized requirements for stand-by- and off-modes.  Thus, in many cases, TCO energy standards are consistent with those of Energy Star.
All BenQ Products Are TCO Certified As a global leader in innovative “digital lifestyle” devices, BenQ has always been at the forefront of technological advancements – from delivering the first LCD monitors to incorporate HDMI, to being the first to receive Windows Vista Premium Certification.  However, in fulfilling its corporate mission of Bringing Enjoyment ‘N’ Quality to Life, the company is equally committed to establishing a role model for ecological responsibility and workplace safety.  Through their corporate recycling program and insistence that all display products are TCO, Energy Star and RoHS certified, BenQ exemplifies responsibility and balance between the world given to us and the world we create.	"Computers used in combination with film viewing and high-resolution action games on new game consoles are becoming increasingly common, and are something upon which we are focusing a great deal. We also focus a great deal on picture improvement circuits, picture quality and color rendering in addition to reducing electrical and magnetic fields; it is here that TCO labeling is an important measure of quality." Stefan Dahlqvist, Managing Director, BenQ Nordic AB
Upcoming generations of the TCO certification program are focusing on: o    Mercury-free lamps in flat panel displays o    Minimization of chemical emissions from plastics and their components o    Climate change and the reduction of the carbon footprint of electronics   For a complete database of TCO certified products, visit www.tcodevelopment.com.