There are hundreds of green-certified computer displays available and available models in most categories have increased since 2017. Here is how to find the most sustainable displays, including projectors, listed by international certification services.

The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) gave a Sustainability, Eco-Design & Smart Energy award to the HP E273d 27-inch Docking Monitor. CES called it "the world’s first display manufactured using ocean-bound plastics to help reduce waterway pollution." CES also cited the monitor's "100% fiber recyclable packaging". The monitor does not yet appear in the EPEAT registry. Other E273 models in the EPEAT registry get only a Silver rating.

The availability of tablets suitable for Green ICT purchasing has declined percipitously over the past year. We could identify only three manufacturers offer one model each. The sluggish global market for tablets may account for manufacturers' lack of interest in certifying new models.

Many Green ICT certification and registration programs cover categories of office equipment other than the major ones for which we publish separate articles. (See list to the right.) Our latest update revealed no new categories and no overall increase in the number of models available. We also note an EPA-recognized toner cartridge remanufacturing initative.

A full update of this survey is planned for later in the year. In the meantime, we are noting an achievement by USA carrier Sprint.

The January 2019 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) gave a Sustainability and Eco-design award to the LG 55E9 55-inch E9 OLED 4K TV. CES noted the model was "...made of eco-friendly and recyclable materials including natural glass."

The LG 55E9 is not listed in the EPEAT Televisions Registry, but the listed LG models are all registered as 'Silver' or 'Bronze'.

In fact, the entire EPEAT Televisions Registry is still disappointing. There are no Gold units for the United States and only 158 Silver, mostly from Samsung.

Scandinavia's Nordic Ecolabel (Svanen) registry lists 88 models, up a little from last year. Samsung makes 78 models; the others are from Philips.

No televisions were recognized in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Champion Award category of the 2018 Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge.

The US ENERGY STAR program looks only at energy efficiency and not other sustainability factors. The program uses a metric called Total Energy Consumption (TEC).

There were only four models rated at 50 TEC or less this year, less than half as many as a year ago. Apple TV, with two of the four models, is by far and away the most efficient, helped by its very low stand-by power consumption.

The European Union has a program for STB energy efficiency and we've listed the manufacturers that signed its Code of Conduct. There are also three European STB models that received the German Ecolabel.

Digital signage is now deployed everywhere, but large digital billboards can consume up to 30X the electricity of a typical American home. Despite the grow of digital signage and its environmental footprint, only one organization rates digital signage and only one company gets top marks.

There is no excuse for an American and Western European organizations not to purchase a GreenICT printer. There are hundreds of models to choose from in both regions. But consumers have to settle for less-green units.

A look at major certification programs in the United States and Europe shows a significant increase in the number of certified models over the past few years. Desktops, workstations, and related configurations are a declining market, so it is a positive sign that manufacturers are still certifying their latest products.

We found back in 2010 that the European market for Green ICT products had many local standards with few certified products. That did not appear to best serve sustainability-oriented computer buyers - consumer or enterprise - who need to make practical purchasing decisions incorporating sustainability. The situation has not improved in recent years.

Our recent update of Finding the Greenest Tablets illustrates the continuing challenges for conscientious buyers trying to sort through standards.