IT devices include a rather large group of products: stationary and portable computers, monitors, printers, facsimile and copying machines, multifunctional machineries, and scanners. Public organizations purchase IT devices rather often. While defining the environmental criteria for these products, the contracting authorities can reduce the usage of energy, emission of hazardous substances and electromagnetic rays into the air, and the amount of waste. The products meeting such criteria are not only environmentally friendly, but also friendly for employees working with them.

Defining needs for IT devices in the organization, the possibility to upgrade the used devices and in this way to reduce the amount of new purchased devices should be taken into consideration. If the needed device is not being used intensively, the opportunity to optimize the usage of old devices instead of buying new ones should be discussed. You should also consider the alternative instead of buying IT devices for each employee - a central server on which the programmes run and only supplying users with a monitor and a keyboard (less energy, less materials required, etc.). In order to buy a new IT device, it is important to:

·        determine exactly the essential/necessary capacity needed for each computer;

·        determine exactly what kind of hardware is essential for the computers;

·        decide what kind of monitors you want to buy (LCD or CRT, choose the latter only if it is unavoidable).

While purchasing IT devices (computers, monitors, printers, facsimile and copying machines, scanners), ink for printers, facsimile and copying machines, and powder for copiers, the contracting authorities can use criteria provided by the Order No D1-697 of the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, which came into force on January, 1 2008.