Two different independent parties are involved in EPEAT® verification.
Product Verification Committee
The Product Verification Committee or “PVC” develops and approves the plan for each verification round, and makes the final decisions regarding each product’s conformance or nonconformance to each criterion.
The members of the PVC are independent experts on electronics and the environment and are contractors to EPEAT. Their pay is independent of their decisions, they are required to maintain independence from any EPEAT subscribing manufacturers, and they are generally blind to the identity of the products and manufacturers they are deciding.
Product Verification Committee members
Qualified Verifiers
Each verification investigation is assigned to a Qualified Verifier (QV). The QV obtains and evaluates data from Subscribers and makes a recommendation of conformance or nonconformance for review by the PVC. QVs are independent experts on electronics and the environment on contract to EPEAT; they are required to maintain independence from EPEAT-subscribing manufacturers, and their pay is independent of their recommendations. QV’s usually communicate with manufacturers to obtain the information they need to complete verification processes.
Contacting verifiers: We ask that stakeholders refrain from contacting the Product Verification Committee or individual Verifiers directly regarding EPEAT and verification, to maintain their independence of judgment. They may be contacted through EPEAT if needed.