Circular IT series - Razer: World’s first ECOLOGO mice
Sustainability for the circular IT economy is serious.
Equally, gaming and gamification is serious too.
Not many firms are straddling the intersection point of these two concerns, but one organisation that could be is Razer, the lifestyle brand for gamers.
This year has seen the company confirm its Basilisk V3 and the DeathAdder Essential gaming mice as approved to achieve an ECOLOGO certification by safety science organisation, UL.
The mice have passed UL2710, the Outline of Investigation for Sustainability for Portable Electronics, which certifies them as sustainable products.
UL ECOLOGO-certified products and services are verified for reduced environmental impact. ECOLOGO certifications are voluntary, multi-attribute, lifecycle-based environmental certifications that indicate a product has undergone rigorous scientific testing and exhaustive auditing to prove its compliance with stringent, third-party environmental standards.
Community transparency
Razer says it has undergone the certification process to assure its users that its mice meet strict environmental performance industry standards – further, the company insists that it wants to be ‘transparent with its community’ at all times – and the firm champions its #GoGreenWithRazer hashtag.
To certify these mice with the ECOLOGO Mark, UL looked at several sustainability criteria. They evaluated that the mice comply with EU hazardous chemical restricted substance regulations and have also been assessed for skin irritation and sensitisation. UL also evaluated Razer’s process of repair and replacement management covering ease of product disassembly by authorised service providers, to how Razer communicates components requiring selective waste treatment to service providers.
Sustainable packaging is another criterion the mice fulfilled as they are boxed with packaging made of FSC-certified material, free of heavy metals and chlorine and printed in sustainable soy-ink so they can be easily recycled.
ISO 14001
Finally explains Kenneth Ng, sustainability manager at Razer, UL also inspected Razer’s facilities to certify that the mice were manufactured in facilities committed to environmentally responsible management as evidenced by certification to ISO 14001.
“This is not the first time Razer and UL have worked together to pioneer sustainability within the industry. Last year at RazerCon 2021 [we] announced that partnered with UL to promote a Type III Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) ecolabel to encourage the sustainable manufacturing of gaming products. This was prompted by the fact that the gaming industry lacks a standardised way to measure sustainable products, and Razer sought to provide one,” said Ng.
Razer says it is committed to going the extra mile to make greener products while empowering consumers with the knowledge to make more informed choices.
For more information about the ECOLOGO certification visit here and for info on the Razer range of mice visit here.
