Whitepaper

Calculating the carbon footprint of

electronic products

By Dr. Constantin Herrmann,

Margarida Gama, Douglas Helman
PE INTERNATIONAL | November 2012
Content

1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................2

2 Methodology – Life Cycle Assessment............................................................................... 3

3 Goal & Scope definition ....................................................................................................... 4

4 Inventory analysis ...................................................................................................................5

5 Modelling electronic products in GaBi ............................................................................. 6

5.1 Production/manufacturing phase ...................................................................................... 7

5.2 Use phase ................................................................................................................................. 8
5.3 End-of-Life................................................................................................................................ 9
5.4 Transportation ........................................................................................................................ 9

6 Results / Impact assessment ..............................................................................................10

7 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 11

1
1 Introduction
In the last two decades carbon emissions have
received growing attention in society, political
arenas and business. Being able to measure
the amounts of greenhouse gases emitted by
products, activities, people and organizations
is increasingly important. For organizations, it
is a factor in decision-making and impacts
competitiveness. Choosing a product or ser-
vice supplier is no longer based solely on the
price of the product or service, but also on its
carbon footprint.
Carbon footprint definition
‘Carbon footprint’ is a term used to describe
the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-
sions caused by a particular activity or entity
and is, thus, a way for organizations and indi-
viduals to assess their contribution to climate
change.1 The carbon footprint of a product is
calculated using a methodology called Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA). This methodology
takes into consideration the entire life cycle of
activities or entities including their manufac-
turing, transport, use and end-of-life.
To better define these concepts, and obtain
homogeneous results, guidelines, methodolo-
gies and international standards such as PAS
2050, ISO 14040 and ISO 14067 were created.
To comply with these standards, a product
carbon footprint must account for emissions
from cradle to grave: from initial resource
extraction, to final disposal, including manu-
facturing, use-related impacts, and transpor-
tation.
The challenge of very complex electronic
products
For electronics companies it can be a chal-
lenge to produce life cycle assessments and
product carbon footprints due to the complex
1 changing the parameters in the model, practi-
Carbon Trust, Defra, BSI British Standards, PE INTERNA-
TIONAL; Guide to PAS 2050 - How to assess the carbon
footprint of goods and services, 2008, UK.
nature of the products. This industry faces the
challenge of collecting the necessary data
from large supply chains with extensive out-
sourcing and frequent product revisions. A
single electronic subsystem (e.g. mother board
of a computer) often consists of between sev-
eral hundred and thousands of components
(e.g. ICs, capacitors, LEDs, etc.). There are
about 10 million different electronic compo-
nents on the market. The number and variety
of components and subsystems makes the
task of collecting specific information on each
single component highly challenging from
time and resources perspectives.
A methodological approach to solve this chal-
lenge
This whitepaper introduces a methodological
approach for calculating the product carbon
footprint considering these industry-specific
challenges and characteristics. The methodol-
ogy is based on the extensive knowledge and
experience of LCA practitioners. It enables and
simplifies the calculation of product carbon
footprint for electronic products, delivering
robust and representative results which are
compliant with existing standards and regula-
tions.
One LCA model for an entire product group –
parametric models
Setting up individual static LCA models per
case study, means a lot of work. However, it is
possible to use one variable LCA model for an
entire product group. This significantly reduc-
es time to generate LCA results per case study
as well as reduces the margin for error. Para-
metric (or parameterized) models are built in a
way that reflects the variances between all
products within that group. These models
contain a number of variables that can be
adjusted by the practitioner to make the
standard model represent specific models. By
tioners can easily adapt the LCA model to
many product variations.
2
2 Methodology – Life Cycle As- Main steps of an LCA

The first step of an LCA is to define the goal

sessment
and scope of the study. This step is followed
The cornerstone of a product carbon footprint by an inventory analysis, where data collection
is the life cycle assessment of the product. is performed and applicable Life Cycle Invento-
According to the ISO 14040/14044 definition, ries (LCIs) are identified or selected. Based on
LCA is the “compilation and evaluation of the this, a model is built and the potential impacts
inputs, outputs and the potential environ- assessed.
mental impacts of a product system through-
All of these steps are dynamic and there is
out its life cycle”.2 An LCA looks at all the po-
always the possibility of going back if neces-
tential environmental impacts of a product’s
sary. Interpretation is extremely important
life cycle through, for example, eutrophica-
and should be practiced throughout the whole
tion, acidification and global warming. The
process. LCAs main steps are depicted in Fig-
results for the global warming potential are
ure 1 and are explained in detail in the follow-
the basis for the carbon footprint. Hence, the
ing sections.
product carbon footprint is one specialized
result of an LCA.

Figure 1: Main steps of an LCA according to ISO 14040:2006

2
DIN EN ISO 14040, Environmental management – Life
cycle assessment – Principles and framework (ISO
14040:2006);

3
3 Goal & Scope definition
Cradle-to-gate: considers all life cycle steps
Defining the goal and scope is critically im-
from raw material extraction (cradle) to the
portant for the success of the overall assess-
moment at which the product leaves the
ment. According to PAS 2050, “it is vital that
manufacturer (gate).
the product to be assessed is clearly defined at
the outset. For its carbon footprint, the prod- Cradle-to-grave: considers all life cycle stag-
uct must be defined in terms of a ‘functional es from raw material extraction (cradle) to
unit’. The functional unit defines the function disposal at end of life (grave).
of the product that will be assessed and the
quantity of product to which all of the data
collected will relate”.3

To be compliant with PAS 2050, practitioners

must use one of two methods of analysis
(Figure 2 ). The analysis method chosen de-
pends on the purpose of the LCA.

Transport to
customer

Figure 2: Different types of LCA analyses

3
Carbon Trust, Defra, BSI British Standards, PE Interna-
tional; Guide to PAS 2050 - How to assess the carbon
footprint of goods and services, 2008, UK.

4
4 Inventory analysis
An accurate inventory is largely dependent on
how closely a product model reflects reality. It
is, therefore, extremely important to have
high quality data. Primary data from your own
operations, so called foreground data, is the
best option, in order to define the system un-
der consideration. Foreground data for elec-
tronic products is typically available in the
format of a ‘Bill of Materials (BOM)’ or the
physical break down of a product. Minimizing
the number of assumptions in this step max-
imizes the precision of the results. GaBi Data-
bases provide the necessary background data
for modelling, typical materials, energies,
auxiliaries, components or sub-systems or in
other words, information from the supply
chain.

5
5 Modelling electronic pro-
ducts in GaBi
Materials and components used in an elec-
tronics product: To structure the information
regarding the materials contained in an elec-
tronic product, it is best to consider the differ-
ent components separately, according to type,
as presented in the flowchart in Figure 3. This
Figure 3 - Structure of materials and components within an electronics product
section presents the different types of parts
and how to approach them in an LCA.
Only such a modularized approach allows
practitioners to obtain results that clearly
show the hot spots of the product. These help
to focus improvement measures and to simu-
late and identify alternatives to parts, materi-
als and production processes early in the de-
sign phase. Hence, this information is ex-
tremely useful for applying Eco-Design.
6
5.1 Production/manufacturing pha-
se
How to approach typified parts
Mechanical components: components in
which no signal runs (e.g. screws, steel sheet
covers, plastic separators, labels etc.). For
these materials it is relevant to know the type
of material and weight of the parts in order to
account for their impacts. Their manufactur-
ing (such as bending, stamping, extruding,
injection moulding etc.) shall be included in
order to obtain more precise results.
Electro-mechanical components: components
in which typically analogue signals run (e.g.
connectors, cables, fans etc.). These elements
can be approached similarly to the mechanical
components described above or using para-
metric models. These are intelligent models
which combine empirical information in smart
equations, reflecting the reality in an accurate
way. For this kind of model, the most relevant
information is typically the material type and
sufficient information to adjust the parame-
ters (e.g. area, diameter, length etc.).
Figure 4 - Simplified example of the modelling concept within GaBi
Electronic components - components in which
digital signal or a mix of power and electronic
signals run. To minimize time and effort when
modelling, GaBi Databases offer aggregated
datasets arranged by component type. Select-
ing the correct component requires only its
type, dimensions and features.
There is a very significant difference between
electronic components’ features, materials,
manufacturing processes and impacts. It is not
considered acceptable to group aggregated
datasets for example into passive components
and active components, since their features
and impacts diverge too much not allowing
enough accuracy on the results.
The types of aggregated datasets of electronic
components available in GaBi Databases are
more specific; they are defined by functions,
groups and dimensions. For example in the
case of active components: IC DIP 24 (2.59g)
35.5x8.2x3.8, IC DIP 42 (6.30g) 54.6x14.1x3.8, IC
PLCC 20 (700mg) 8.9x8.9x3.8, IC SO 8 (80mg)
4.9x3.9x1. For passive components: Capacitor
Ceramic MLCC 1210 (50mg) 3.2x1.6x1.6 (Base
Metals), Capacitor Al-capacitor SMD (300mg)
D6.3x5.4, Resistor flat chip 0402 (0.6mg).
7
The list of components covers representatively
most available electronic components.
Besides the representative datasets for active
and passive components, there are also repre-
sentative substrates and connection systems
(solders), available.
As the functional unit is typically ‘number of
pieces of electronic components (pieces)’,
‘area of board (m2)’ or ‘weight of solder (kg)’,
the modelling process becomes more intuitive
and simpler. Figure 4 presents a simplified
illustration of the concept of modelling elec-
tronic components in GaBi.
When modelling electronic components, the
following types are available:
Active components: components that have an
active part, typically based on semi-conductive
materials (e.g. IC’s, diodes, transistors etc.).
The main aspects to be considered are hous-
ing type respectively back end packaging (e.g.
within IC’s: SO, TSSOP etc.) and technical fea-
tures (e.g. height, length, width, die size,
number of leads etc.). Within the active com-
ponents group, a parametric model can be
used to better specify semi-conductors in
more detail.
Passive components: discrete electronic com-
ponents influencing typically power or current
without an active function (e.g. capacitors,
resistors etc.). The main aspects to be consid-
ered are the type (e.g. within capacitors: alu-
minium, MLCC etc.) and technical features
(e.g. diameter, height, length, width etc.).
Substrate: printed circuit board (PCB) or print-
ed wiring board (PWB) without components or
connection system. The substrate is modelled
considering materials and manufacturing
processes and related consumptions. The
main aspects to be considered are the number
of layers, area, weight and composition (e.g.
content of copper, glass fibres, TBBA or Au/Ni
finishing). A parametric model can be used to
more precisely define the substrate.
Connection system: usually solder pastes;
formerly SnPbAg, today typically lead free.
Aggregated modules: aggregated modules
represent sub-systems or set of various com-
ponents that are typically applied in multiple
products (e.g. connectors, cables, TfT panels,
fans, electric motors etc.). Using modules
avoids having to model from the scratch every
time. Modules can be used as aggregated
datasets or more flexible as parametric mod-
els depending on how representative the da-
taset is for the specific system under consider-
ation. By changing the parameters, the model
can be adapted to the specific configuration.
For example, considering a laptop, one com-
mon module is the TFT display. A parametric
model provides all LCA data representing the
supply chain of manufacturing the mother-
glass, panel structure, frame and electronics.
The parameter setting allows specification of
size, panel and lighting technology, back-
ground electronics and frame type, thus al-
lowing quickly and efficiently customize a
specific display type.
Assembling processes
The assembling processes represent the com-
position of substrate, solder and electronic/
electrical components to a final product, i.e. a
populated PCB. In general, the following as-
pects of assembly need to be considered: en-
ergy consumption, water consumption and
auxiliary materials as well as emissions and
waste generation and treatment.
5.2 Use phase
Within the use phase, power consumption is
the most relevant aspect of an electronic
product in terms of its carbon footprint. It is
typically possible to define the power con-
sumption of an electronic product by consider-
8
ing the different modes in which it operates
(e.g. on, stand-by, off etc.), time per mode and
life span of the product. Other aspects might
be considered, for example repair and
maintenance. In specific cases there may also
be considered consumables (e.g. paper on a
printer or batteries on mobile devices).
5.3 End-of-Life
The End-of-Life (EoL) model is a parametric
model that reflects the treatment (recycling
and disposal) of products with electronic
components. In order to reasonably consider
the role of electronics in products a two-step
approach is applied to the end-of-life phase.
The first step reflects the manual disassembly
and separation (exhibiting no environmental
impacts) of the mechanical components in
order to apply recycling processes. As shown
in Figure 5 the various resulting material frac-
tions are: recycling of main metals copper,
steel and aluminium, recycling of engineering
plastics (not packaging) as well as recycling of
paper and plastics from packaging and the
Figure 5 - Structure of the End-of-Life model
electronic boards going into the second
treatment step and residuals going to landfill.
The second step relates only to the fraction of
electronic components. These are shredded
using power and result into the following
options (as shown in Figure 5): recycling of
palladium, copper (in combination with pre-
cious metals), platinum, gold and silver, incin-
eration of residual electronic scrap and landfill
of residues.
Gained secondary materials get a credit calcu-
lation. Parameter variations allow reflecting
any collection rate and recycling rate per frac-
tion.
5.4 Transportation
There are two main transport phases to be
considered: transport to customer and
transport to EoL. Within the manufacturing
phase it is possible to consider the transporta-
tion of the components to the locations where
they are assembled, i.e. tier 1 supplier. The
transports are defined by type and distance.
9
6 Results / Impact assessment
A carbon footprint is generally communicated
in kg CO2-Equiv. To calculate this, the CML-
2001 methodology for calculating Global
Warming Potential is used. This method calcu-
lates kg CO2-Equiv. over a 100 year period and
is the most well accepted methodology. Other
methodologies are available (e.g. EDIP, TRACI,
etc.).
When presenting results, these are typically
displayed first as aggregated results, giving an
overview of the most significant life cycle
phases in terms of kg CO2-Equiv. This also
conveys a general overview of the carbon
footprint per phase. Results are then broken
down into the different modules, components
or aspects considered in the assessment ena-
bling more detailed analysis of the ‘hotspots’.
The hierarchical models and its level of detail
as described in this paper allow environmen-
tally investigating, comparing and evaluating
any electronic product. Sensitivity analyses are
performed when needed to ensure the quality
of the footprint.
Leveraging your LCA results
Carbon footprints can be leveraged in a num-
ber of ways:
Quantifying the carbon footprint associat-
associat-
ed with each of the products life cycle
phases.
phases . This builds understanding of the rele-
vance of each phase with respect to the over-
all carbon footprint of the product;
Identifying
Identifying ‘hot spots’.
spots’ This informs more
targeted efforts to collect supplier-specific
emissions data. Also it highlights opportuni-
ties for redesigning the product. It is under-
stood as eco-design;
Contributing to internal decision making
defining
and defin ing a sustainability strategy.
strategy.
Knowledge of the product, production pro-
cesses and the resulting carbon footprint ena-
bles practitioners to better define strategies
aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the
product;
Gaining competitive advantage by publicly
communicating results. Through improved
transparency, consumers are empowered to
base purchasing decisions on factors other
than price, features or aesthetics. Also it
proves producers’ competency and thorough
understanding in carrying environmental
responsibility.
10
7 Summary
Being able to measure the carbon footprint of
products is increasingly important, as it is a
factor in decision-making and impacts com-
petitiveness. Calculation of a carbon footprint
is achieved through conducting a life cycle
assessment of the product.
The approach presented is derived from ex-
tensive knowledge and experience. It enables
practitioners to calculate the carbon footprint
of complex electronic products through the
combination of foreground information and
background data from GaBi Databases. This is
achieved simply by scaling and combining
information for representative components
and adapting parameters in intelligent para-
metric models. It is the practical approach to
follow standards such as ETSI TS 103 199 (Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) of ICT equipment,
networks and services; General methodology
and common requirements), ITU Toolkit on
Environmental Sustainability in the ICT Sector
or ICT GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Ac-
counting and Reporting Standard ICT Sector
Guidance.
This approach allows practitioners to obtain
high-quality results that can be leveraged in
many ways: quantifying the carbon footprint
associated with each of the products life cycle
phases; identifying ‘hotspots’; contributing to
internal decision making and defining a sus-
tainability strategy; gaining competitive ad-
vantage by publicly communicating results.

PE INTERNATIONAL AG Authors
Hauptstraße 111 - 113
Dr. Constantin Herrmann
70771 Leinfelden - Echterdingen
Margarida Gama
Germany
Phone +49 711 341817 - 0 Douglas Helman
Fax +49 711 341817 - 25

www.pe-international.com

About PE INTERNATIONAL
PE INTERNATIONAL is one of the world’s most experienced sustainability software, content and stra-
tegic consulting firms. With 20 years of experience and 20 offices around the globe, PE INTERNA-
TIONAL allows clients to understand sustainability, improve their performance and succeed in the
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