In the autumn of 1982 TCO's computer group discussed the possibility of starting product testing of computer displays. The thinking was that such product testing could force the development of displays that would be better adapted to the needs of users.

The background to this was that an increasing number of TCO members were suffering from strain injuries and problems with their vision as a result of working in front of displays. In addition, they were beginning to worry about the effect on their health of the electrical and magnetic fields associated with displays.

With the launch of the personal computer (in 1981) and the development of new software, the number of computer-based applications rapidly increased, to encompass more and more workplaces and professions. The periods of time spent in front of the display showed a massive increase for a great many employees, which in turn led to an increase in the number of health problems, work-related injuries and time off sick. One important reason for these problems was the poor adaptation of the technology to human needs.

Computer users did of course gain access to "new" technology, but this technology had definite deficiencies in the way it was ergonomically presented. There was a very low level of knowledge among the manufacturers, regulatory authorities and users in respect of the sort of emissions being produced by this equipment. Also, the ability of the users to influence development of what for them were new tools was virtually nil.

To demand that the employers should purchase better equipment was hopeless, since among their range of products suppliers did not have any IT equipment with the sort of good working environment characteristics that were needed. Other ways had to be found, not least with the aim of applying pressure to the suppliers to develop their products in the desired direction.

At TCO there was a gradual and increasingly powerful realisation that applying pressure to the manufacturers and suppliers by means of more restrictive work environment legislation would be a far too blunt and indirect method. The speed of technical development was a striking contrast to the slow and deliberate procedures that characterised the regulatory bureaucracy of the Board for Occupational Safety and Health.

On 26 November 1982 TCO sent a paper to Statens Provningsanstalt (SP - The Swedish National Testing Institute) which asked whether SP would be willing and able to prepare for and perform tests on computer terminal displays.

A reply to the TCO request was received on 21 December 1982. SP was positively inclined to perform the testing requested by TCO and was ready to put its expertise at the disposal of the project management.

This application to SP was the beginning of TCO's long term knowledge accumulation and opinion-forming that would many years later result in TCO certification of computer displays becoming a world standard.

The strategy that TCO and its associate member organisations successively developed during the subsequent years was based on a simple insight. Only when a sufficiently large number of employees, both within and outside Sweden, demanded with one voice identical and clear requirements for the work environment characteristics of IT equipment would the equipment suppliers be prepared to meet these requirements. To apply such pressure to the developers, therefore, a user movement was built up, along with a network of experts and researchers recruited by TCO to develop specific requirements and measuring methods.

The success of the TCO strategy has been verified not only by the users but also, two decades later, by industrial representatives:

"When TCO began its work on visual ergonomics at the beginning of the 1980s, displays were so bad that if they were compared with todayÕs displays it would be like comparing a radio from the 1920s with a current model. TCO has had an enormous effect on product development." (Helge Tiainen of Nokia, in the Swedish language book "Cover-up - no justice for the victims of electronics" by Gunni Nordström, Hjalmarson & Högberg, 2000)

At the beginning of 1992 TCO decided to create a co-operative alliance in preparation for the certification of computer equipment. The TCO Development Unit was set up at the same time. There were four partners in the alliance - the TCO Development Unit, Svenska Naturskyddsföreningen (SNF - The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation), the Nutek (The National Board for Industrial and Technical Development in Sweden) Department for Efficient Energy Use, and Semko AB (a Swedish Testing Institute). Their individual roles were defined at an early stage:

The TCO Board decided on 9 June 1992 to introduce a TCO scheme for labelling displays and keyboards. This decision was taken by, among others, TCO Chairman Björn Rosengren and SKTF (Sveriges Kommunaltjänstemannaförbund - The Association of Swedish Local Government Officers) Chairman Sture Nordh (who later became the TCO Chairman).

The Minutes of the Meeting show that the Board agreed to support a multi-stage development of the labelling scheme, which would include ergonomic requirements, emissions, energy consumption and external environment aspects such as recycling of the components in the equipment.

The Board considered TCO labelling to be a part of the trade union strategy to support the development of goods and services that would benefit both the public health and the natural environment. With this decision, the TCO wanted to show the rest of the world how trade unions could play an active role in those questions that were the subject of intensive debate during the UN Conference.

During July and August 1992 Per Erik Boivie drew up the basic concept for the 6E practical model (ecology, energy, emissions, ergonomics, economics, efficiency). The model is founded on the idea that it should be possible to create a driving force and commitment within a company sufficient to contribute to sustainable development. The emphasis lies on taking personal responsibility and the engagement of every employee in the development process.

On 1 September 1992 the TCO'92 co-operative alliance was launched - the first stage in display certification, that would eventually be followed by TCO'95 and TCO'99. The launch took place at a press conference in Berlin during the "Work With Display Units" (WWDU) international scientific conference.

By being present at such an international gathering the aim was to set the conditions for a global breakthrough of the labelling scheme, which in turn was a condition for the suppliers to be prepared to adapt their products to meet the requirements. The Swedish market represented after all only one per cent of the world market.

On August 18 1997 the LO (Landsorganisation i Sverige - The Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions) Board approved the release of the "LO computer" scheme. This was a question of principle that took this trade union into a completely new area. It was an initiative to permit LO members to rent a computer for home use through the auspices of the trade union. Part of the computer package would be a TCO'95 certified display and an Internet subscription.

LO wanted to emphasise that the member's computer should be accessible to the whole family. For children it would be a way of learning to use a computer to help with their school work. IT competence is also becoming more important for everyone in working life. The aim of this measure was therefore to the highest degree political - it would help to prevent new class barriers being raised due to information technology. The LO computer initiative was a success, and five years after its introduction almost 60 000 members had taken advantage of this new possibility. There was early on very strong media interest, and many non-LO members started to wonder if they too could perhaps rent or buy computers via their employers. The pressure on the Social Democratic government to create such possibilities quickly grew. This led to a decision on new tax rules that took effect as soon as 1 January 1998.

The new rules enable companies to make gross (before tax) deductions for computer equipment intended for use by workers at home, without imposing a tax on the benefit to those people. The results didnÕt take long to appear. During 1998 550 000 personal computers were sold to staff. In an article in the Dagens Industri (Daily Industry newspaper) issue of 8 November 1998 under the headline "Thank the LO for IT success" the LO initiative was praised as being extremely important for the rapid spread of IT and the Internet that have since taken place in Sweden.