RoAnn M. Destito, Commissioner of the New York State Office of General Services (OGS), today announced that OGS has received a 2019 EPEAT award for excellence in sustainable electronics procurement by the Green Electronics Council. The winners were recently announced at an event in Portland, OR.

EPEAT is a free and trusted source of environmental product rating system that makes it easier for buyers to select high-performance electronics that support their organization’s IT and sustainability goals. Purchasing EPEAT-rated equipment helps reduce hazardous and solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

“Governor Cuomo has made green and sustainable initiatives a priority for state agencies, and we at OGS are pleased that for the third year in a row the Green Electronics Council is recognizing our efforts to encourage the purchase of EPEAT-registered IT products,” Commissioner Destito said. “The purchase of these IT products on state contract in 2018 will help avoid the disposal of 158 metric tons of hazardous waste and will also result in savings of 59,500 MWh of electricity, which is enough to power 4,931 U.S. households for a year.”

Since 2008, OGS has included a requirement in its aggregate computer buy that all desktops, notebooks, and tablets meet EPEAT requirements. In 2018, more than 129,000 computers and displays were purchased through the OGS computer aggregate buy.

An aggregate buy is how New York State uses its buying power to get the best final pricing for items sold on state contracts and purchased in bulk by state agencies, local governments, schools, and nonprofits. Purchasers received a 49.6 percent discount off state contract prices on average, which saved them approximately $61.4 million in 2018.

The EPEAT rating system began in 2003 with a stakeholder process convened by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and has grown to become the definitive global environmental rating system for electronics. Managed by the Green Electronics Council, EPEAT has tracked more than 4,400 products from more than 60 manufacturers across 43 countries.