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“ Sources of Variation in Life Cycle Assessment of Desktop Computers ”

“ Sources of Variation in Life Cycle Assessment of Desktop Computers ”. Teehan P., Kandlikar M., Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol 16, S1, 2012 (Reviewed by: Aisling Silke.). Purpose of Paper. This paper reviews and critiques the current method of Life Cycle Assessment ( LCA’s ).

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“ Sources of Variation in Life Cycle Assessment of Desktop Computers ”

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  1. “Sources of Variation in Life Cycle Assessment of Desktop Computers” Teehan P., Kandlikar M., Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol 16, S1, 2012 (Reviewed by: Aisling Silke.)

  2. Purpose of Paper • This paper reviews and critiques the current method of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA’s). • Based on previous LCA’s of components of Desktop PC’s. • Recommends a more effective method of assessment.

  3. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) • This is an assessment of the energy and material consumption levels of a product for the entire life of the product and beyond. • Begins with examining the methods for sourcing the raw material(s) used. • Continues to examine the manufacturing process of the product. • Analyses the impacts of the product while it is in use/ in working condition (Use-Phase) • Concludes with the events after the product is no longer in use and is disposed of/ recycled/ refurbished for further use.

  4. Main Findings of the Paper • It is difficult to conduct an LCA for PC’s due to the numerous components that a PC consists of. • Each component should be investigated individually for a more accurate assessment. • This paper focuses on information from previous studies of the Life Cycles of the central control units of PC’s.

  5. Main Findings continued • The ‘use-phase’ of a product is the easiest phase to measure as it is assessed based on the energy consumption of the product throughout the ‘working life’ of the product/ component. • LCA results may vary or be skewed for many reasons.

  6. Reasons for Variation • Lack of data available for poorer regions (eg South East Asia) as their ‘informal recycling’ is not included in Life Cycle Assessments . • But there is evidence of environmental contamination in these regions. • Location in which the product is used also impacts the LCA results • Case Study: China (Coal) v’s Norway (Hydropower) • Product in China has 30 times the global warming impact than in Norway.

  7. Conclusions/ Recommendations • Life Cycle Assessments should be conducted on individual components and not completed products. • LCA’s should include the Use-Phase locations as this will yield more accurate results. • The extent of usage of the product should be included in the assessment also (eg Office PC v’s Domestic PC)

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