The EPEAT® green electronics rating system added a 41st country today, as Singapore became the first new country to join the system following international expansion in August 2009. With the country-specific green product ratings available today, EPEAT now offers purchasers in Singapore a clear and impartial way to assess the environmental performance of computer hardware and displays.

"Growing interest in environmental issues and greener products among end users made Singapore a strong candidate for addition to the EPEAT system's country coverage," said Jeff Omelchuck, Executive Director of EPEAT. "We look forward to helping customers and manufacturers use EPEAT to identify the best-in-class green IT products available in Singapore."

EPEAT is the most extensive and influential environmental rating systems for electronics, with a registry of over 1,000 products and more than 40 participating manufacturers worldwide, from global giants to small integrators. Last summer's expansion enabled IT purchasers in the US, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Mexico to compare and select environmentally preferable products based on their environmental performance in their countries. Now Singaporeans have that same ability.

"The EPEAT system offers Toshiba a clear and impartial way to assess and communicate the strength of our environmental design initiatives," said Hidemi Murata, Managing Director of Toshiba Singapore Pte Ltd., which has registered the first EPEAT Gold-rated products in Singapore. "Toshiba is very proud to be part of this very first country addition to the EPEAT international registry. We will continually develop and incorporate new technologies into our products that ultimately demonstrate our commitment to sustainability."

The EPEAT system evaluates electronic products according to three tiers of environmental performance: Bronze, Silver and Gold, based on 51 environmental criteria. Key benchmarks include elimination of toxics, design for recycling, extended product longevity, increased energy efficiency, packaging waste reduction, and takeback and recycling services.