SII Green Product Label
To raise public awareness of our eco-friendly products, in December 2001, we introduced the SII Green Product Label System which is equivalent to the ISO 14021 Type II environmental label.

Products are assessed according to the SII Green Product Standards on a scale of one to five, and certified as SII Green Products with an average score of 3.5 or above.

The standards are reviewed once every two years.

Certification of SII GREEN PRODUCTS

Each SII product is rated in terms of its environmental compatibility based on the five-point assessment scale described below. Only products that receive an average score of 3.5 or higher are certified as SII Green Products.

Outline of SII Green Product Standards

• The 20 environmental compatibility factors apply to each product.
• Each product is rated on the five-point assessment scale for each factor.
• Priority is given to the absolute assessment standards, which are based on the environmental compatibility of other companies' similar products as determined by SII's own surveys.
• Factors that are difficult to evaluate with the absolute assessment standards are rated instead based on the relative assessment standards, which indicate the improvement in environmental compatibility in comparison with SII's previous products.
• Whenever possible, the ratings are based on quantitative criteria.
• The assessment standards are revised once every two years.
• The concepts for the assessment ratings are described below.

Points	Absolute assessment standards	Relative assessment standards
5	Lead runner	Outstandingly better than previous products
4	In the leading pack	Much better than previous products
3	In the second pack	Better than previous products
2	Average	Same as previous products
1	Inferior	Worse than previous products

Environmental Compatibility Factors for SII Green Product Standards

• Power consumption during use
• Power consumption during standby
• Product weight
• Use of reused parts and recycled materials
• Recyclability of used products
• Longer-lasting products
• Limitation of including substances to be avoided*
• Prohibition of substances to be abolished on condition*
• Prohibition of including banned substances*
• Smaller, more lightweight packaging
• Limitation of foam packaging materials
• Avoidance of polyvinyl chloride and heavy metals in packaging
• Manufacturing process energy conservation
• Manufacturing process resource conservation
• Manufacturing process limitation of substances be avoided*
• Manufacturing process prohibition of banned substances*
• Green purchasing
• Easy disassembly
• Easy sorting of materials for recycling
• Information disclosure in user manuals, and other related documents

SII High Grade Green Product Label

In October 2006, the SII High Grade Green Product System was introduced as an upper grade certification of the SII Green Product. "HIGH GRADE" under the green product logo indicates that the product has high environmental performance.

Basic		Satisfies the SII Green Product Standards. Average assessment of 3.5 points or above.
Additional	Mandatory	Implemented the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)*.
	Selective	1) Top rank in one or more of the SII Green Product Standards criteria	1. Top rank feature, like “the smallest” in the industry, country or world
			2. Exceeds the highest established rating level
			3. Twice or more environmental efficiency compared to conventional products (functionality/ environmental impact)
		2) Unique environmental friendliness feature	4. Achieved top-level environmental impact reduction, such as innovative product specification, raw materials
			5. Significantly reduced environmental impact utilizing innovative technology
			6. Environment-related awards
		3) Extremely high level of environmental friendliness score	7. SII Green Product Standards overall score: 3.0 or above in all the criteria, 4.2 or above in average

*	Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the quantitative assessment of the environmental impact of a given product or service throughout its lifespan from raw material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal.

Certification Process

The SII Green Products and High Grade Green Products are certified according to the following procedures. The Green Products are fairly and objectively qualified since their reviews involve engineers and designers from all divisions. In addition, these reviews enhance communication and shared understanding of eco design among divisions.