Research Slide Deck

15 September 2015

Green Electronics CouncilResearch on the opportunities and benefits of greener electronics

What is the environmental impact of theComputer and Electronics industry?

What are the Opportunities for Greener Electronics?How does the electronics industry impact and depend on natural capital to grow revenue?

For every $1B in revenue generated how much natural capital is required? 

$30M of natural capital costs per $B of Revenue

Computer & ElectronicManufacturing

Supply Chain94% of costs

Direct Operations6% of costs

What are the Opportunities for Greener Electronics?What are the natural capital costs of a mobile phone, tablet, and laptop, taking into account the environmental impacts of production?What are the natural capital costs along the value chain, from raw materials through end of life?

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Mobile Phone Tablet Laptop

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Natural Capital Cost per Product at Each Lifecycle Stage

End of Life

Use

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Manufacturing

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ManufacturingDistribution

UseEnd of Life

0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100%

What are the Opportunities for Greener Electronics?What is the variability in natural capital costs within a particular segment of the value chain?

The semiconductor industry can save $3.2 B in environmental costs if all companies were as efficient as the industry leader.

What are the Opportunities for Greener Electronics?What is the total net benefit of greener electronics when adopted at an industry wide scale?

Based on calculations from EPA’s EEBC calculator (2012). Impacts included were greenhouse gas emissions, toxic materials (Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr6+), municipal solid waste, and hazardous waste. Based on market size of 201, 209.9, and 148 million units sold in 2012 forNotebooks, LCDs, and CPUs respectively (data collected from Statista).

If products globally met the EPEAT gold standard, over $2.5 Billion in natural capital costs could be saved.

How can a circular economy modelcreate value for the electronics sector?

Product Trashed in U.S. (short tons)

Recycled in U.S. (short tons)

Recycling rate

Natural capital cost of trashed 

electronics (USD)

Computers 255,000 168,000 40% $31 million

Monitors 401,000 194,000 33% $49 million

Mobile devices 17,200 2,240 11% $2 million

Televisions 864,000 181,000 17% $107 million

Keyboards & mice 61,400 6,460 10% $8 million

U.S. disposal data for 2010, from USEPASource: http://www.electronicstakeback.com/wp‐content/uploads/Facts_and_Figures_on_EWaste_and_Recycling.pdfProduct weightsSource: http://ewasteguide.info/weight

Total: $197 million

Trashed electronics in the United States equate to $197 million in natural capital costs per year.

How can a circular economy modelcreate value for the electronics sector?

How does the electronics industry depend on water?

Based on 2013 data from the Trucost Environmental Register

How does the electronics industry depend on water to generate revenue, and how does this compare to other industry sectors?

Average Water Use Intensity

Computer and Electronics Manufacturing’s water use intensity is 85% lower than the average across industries.

How does the electronics industry depend on water?

Based on 2013 data from the Trucost Environmental Register

How does the electronics industry depend on water to generate revenue, and how does this compare to other industry sectors?

How does the electronics industry depend on water?Where are there “hot spots” for water in the electronics industry value chain?

Based on 2013 data from the Trucost Environmental Register

- Water utilities- Electricity

Generation- Packaging

Materials

- Packaging Materials

- Main Component Sectors

- Raw Materials: mining and crop production for packing materials

How is water scarcity a limiting factor for revenue growth?

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