Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics & Life Cycle Assessment

Greenpeace recently published the 18th edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics, which evaluates leading consumer electronics companies based on their commitment and progress in three environmental criteria: Energy and Climate, Greener Products and Sustainable Operations.

It coincides with the publication of PE INTERNATIONAL’s whitepaper ‘Calculating the carbon footprint of electronic products,’ which presents an approach to quantify the environmental impacts of electronic products. Both publications aim to contribute to greener electronics.

The Guide to Greener Electronics by Greenpeace scores companies on overall policies and practices (not on specific products), aiming to provide consumers with a snapshot of the corporate sustainability of the biggest names in the industry.

PE INTERNATIONAL’s whitepaper, on the other hand, has its focus on providing the industry with a framework to quantify and reduce the environmental profile of products. Based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), it presents a methodology for calculating Product Carbon Footprints of electronic products. LCA is a widely-used approach which allows assessing a product’s environmental profile across its entire life-cycle, considering environmental impacts such as global warming potential and resource depletion, as well as other environmental aspects like energy consumption and material efficiency.


An LCA study can help to find out:
1) How a product is currently performing,
2) Where to focus potential improvements and how to measure them,
and 3) How to report product sustainability according to standards.

This framework helps companies to design better products, for example by discarding harmful materials and replacing them with more environmentally friendly ones, or replacing parts and materials which are difficult to recycle (Ecodesign). Besides, companies can use the LCA results to reliably communicate their products’ performance and improvements.

Download your free copy of our whitepaper ‘Calculating the carbon footprint of electronic products’

or contact PE’s Electronics Team: electronics@pe-international.com

PE Symposium 2013 - Sustaining business success and growth in a resource constrained world

We are happy to announce that the online registration for the 2013 Symposium event is now open and right now, we are offering 30% Early Bird booking discount if you book before December 18, 2012.

Remember, if you are already a PE customer then attendance is free! And for all university and non-OECD country attendees we are offering an overall 50% discount.

As we have already received a high level of interest in our Symposium and related workshops, we would strongly encourage you to book early to secure your place.

Click to register now!

The event is already shaping up niceley and we are delighted to confirm speakers from major companies including Siemens, Arla Foods, Interface Floor, Carbon Disclosure Project, Thyssen Krupp Elevators and Rio Tinto Alcan.

Why attend?

As a reminder, this year’s theme is “Sustaining business success and growth in a resource constrained world” and our aim is to reveal proven strategies to understand, adapt and grow sustainable business.

PE Symposium attendees will …

…learn about the latest trends and relevant developments in sustainability
 
…hear from other businesses about real life challenges and solutions to sustainability issues
 
…network with key sustainability figures from inside and outside PE
 
…understand all PE’s latest product and service offerings
 
…see in-depth technical details in breakout sessions

…be informed about PE’s future solutions roadmap and direction

Insights from the CarbonExpo

Opportunity or threat for the food and agriculture sector?

Identifying opportunities related to a well-designed carbon price rather than dwelling on potential negative implications were discussed in a panel at last week’s Carbon Expo in Melbourne. Deborah Kerr, Manager for Natural Resource Management from Australia's National Farmers Federation, talked about their members looking for opportunities to increase productivity based on carbon management. Initiatives leading to better soil health and therefore higher productivity and less cost for fertiliser, such as increasing soil carbon, are popular with farmers. Overall, she sees a great opportunity for farmers in the Carbon Farming Initiative.

“More food – fewer emissions” was the key message from Jack Holden, Sustainability Strategy Manager at Fonterra. To achieve this, Fonterra is working closely with their farmers to identify profitable options to reduce the “on farm” contribution. Jack explained how Fonterra supports its farmers in identifying energy savings options in the milking shed and how results from the Dairy Australia carbon footprinting project that was undertaken by PE INTERNATIONAL will help them move beyond on their emissions reductions journey.

Olivia Tyler from Treasury Wine Estates explained their holistic approach to carbon management both locally in Australia and globally across the sixteen countries in which it operates. While Treasury Wine Estates are not liable under Australia’s carbon tax, they put great effort in reducing carbon in their products by using a full life cycle approach. They successfully communicate their efforts through voluntary Carbon and Water Disclosure Project reporting, as well as having achieved the carboNZero certification for one of their wines.
Summarising the session, Barbara Nebel from PE INTERNATIONAL commented, “It is good to see a positive attitude towards the carbon price and that industry focuses on the related opportunities.”

One of the other highlights of the conference was when Australian’s Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, announced that Australia will sign up for a second commitment to the Kyoto Protocol which is to be discussed at global climate talks in Doha in December.  In his view the protocol, which covers less than 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and only from developed nations, was not enough on its own. Therefore, Australia will push for a broader deal which will be concluded by 2015. Without taking action to reduce emissions, the Australian economy would face a "severe economic shock" beginning in the year 2020 and so it was better to tackle it now, said Greg Combet.

New Zealand’s Climate Change Minister Tim Groser announced at the same time that New Zealand will not be following Australia but will instead make voluntary pledges under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, meaning that New Zealand will no longer have a legal obligation to reduce emissions.

PE expands footprint in France by partnering with Gingko21

PE INTERNATIONAL is pleased to announce its recent partnership with Gingko 21, a French consulting company headed by Dr Ing Hélène Teulon, an experienced LCA and Eco-design expert.

After many successful projects completed together, such as the Car LCA project (comparison of ICE trains vs electrical vehicle) for ADEME, PE INTERNATIONAL partnered with Gingko 21 to respond to the opportunities created by sustainable business market trends and rising customer awareness of the environmental footprint of consumer products following Grenelle II.

The newly established partnership offers French customers an extensive software and services portfolio including PE’s GaBi software, a solution for product life cycle assessment and product footprints in accordance with Grenelle II, and SoFi software, a solution for corporate sustainability reporting according to the French reporting framework Bilan Carbone amongst others.

After more than 13 years working in the field of LCA and Eco-design, Hélène Teulon launched Gingko 21 in 2005 to support large companies such as Orange or Saint-Gobain in the deployment of eco-design policies. Gingko 21 has developed an eco-innovation tool box, OpenGreen® that allows companies to integrate the knowledge acquired through LCA studies into sustainable new product development.

Gingko 21 also maintains a free collaborative website, seeds4green.net, to foster the diffusion of LCA results through industry and society.

New generation of million-selling VW Golf

© Volkswagen

VW’s seventh generation Golf will soon hit the market. The new model has a weight reduction of up to 100 kg, and is 23 per cent more fuel efficient than previous models.

Volkswagen, a long-term GaBi customer, uses GaBi LCA Software to reduce their cars’ environmental impacts across the entire life cycle – from production to use on the road through recycling and disposal. For the new Golf VII, the company reports a significant improvement in the environmental profile over the entire life cycle compared with the predecessor model. The new VW Golf now weighs up to 100 kilos less. Depending on the weight reduction, better engines and standard equipped fuel and energy saving technologies, the new Golf has reduced its overall Life-Cycle CO2-e emissions by 13 percent for the diesel model and 11 percent for the petrol version.

With every new car model VW publishes a so-called environmental commendation, verified and certified by the TÜV technical inspection authority. It serves to inform consumers about the environmental performance of the cars, and to compare it to the performance of the previous model.

>> Read the environmental commendation of the Golf 7 here.

Brady’s three pillars of sustainability

PE INTERNATIONAL supported Brady Corporation, a world leader in identification solutions, in launching its inaugural sustainability report. The report gives a comprehensive overview of the company’s sustainability strategy, accomplishments, and future plans. Entitled “Protecting Our Future,” the report focuses on Brady’s three pillars of sustainability: Sustainable Company, Sustainable Customers, and Sustainable Communities.

PE supported Brady in the development of the report by collecting and verifying sustainability performance data, conducting interviews, writing the draft content and preparing the report to satisfy the Global Reporting Initiative's Application Level C. We also worked closely with Brady’s Corporate Communications team to finalize the storyboard, and an external design firm to coordinate the graphics design and layout of the report. The effort was part of the program PE supported Brady for the past 2 years, including the development of its sustainability strategy. Currently we work with Brady’s Customer Council to develop Design for Environment principles and criteria to guide their new product development process.

“Looking for ways to continually improve in general, or more specifically by reducing the Company’s environmental footprint, increasing employee safety and contributing to the communities where Brady team members live and work, have been a part of Brady’s business for years.  However this report reflects a more coordinated effort to promote sustainability,” said Steve Hasbrook, Brady Director of Sustainability.  “The report is designed to provide information to key stakeholders such as large customers and the socially responsible investment sector. It also serves other targeted stakeholders such as our employees, prospective employees, industry associations, governments, suppliers and local communities.

Credible and Commercial: the success factors of eco-labelling

Eco-labelling schemes are on the rise – customers and environmental experts alike are confused with the booming “industry”. The difference between the two groups is that the customers’ decision for or against a label is the fateful one: it decides the ultimate success or failure of the label.

At the same time the judgment of an environmental expert – the one faithful to some aspect of sustainability – carries the responsibility of steering private and public opinion in the right direction. The presentation discusses a stepwise protocol on “how to create a successful label” using the case study of the EU-funded Life+ project “HAproWine” (EU - LIFE08 ENV/E/000143) aimed at developing an eco-label for wine produced in the Spanish region Castilla y León.

Through the evaluation of some key existing examples and the case study of developing a new label in the food industry based on LCA, the presentation identifies underlying factors of success and failure.

>> Get the full presentation and read more

Investing in Energy & Sustainability Software

Watch our free webinar replay about how to select and justify an investment in energy, carbon and sustainability software to top decision-makers in the company.

Speakers include Paul Baier of Groom Energy, share insights from his latest Enterprise Carbon Accounting (ECA) & Sustainability buyer’s guide.

Executives from Buckman and METTLER TOLEDO, two companies that have recently purchased software, talk about how they found the right solutions for their product requirements and business needs. Plus, our speakers offer tips for the vendor selection process.

>> Watch the webinar replay!

Sustainable package design

Companies have a vast number of different package design options available. But today the important question is how sustainable they are? Should they use paper or plastic? When does it make sense to use material combinations and what are their environmental impacts?

Answers to these questions are provided in a Life Cycle Assessment study (LCA) that PE INTERNATIONAL has conducted for Wipak. The Wipak Group is part of the Finland-based Wihuri Group and holds a leading rank in the development and manufacture of multilayer films (in particular barrier films) and high-end packaging solutions in Europe

LCA compared film packages with paper composite solutions

“Energy consumption, ozone production or global warming – material combinations based on paper and plastics can be more sustainable than plastics solutions”, Dr. Annett Kaeding-Koppers, the Wipak Group’s Sustainability Representative explains. On behalf of Wipak, the PE INTERNATIONAL sustainability experts compared film packages, such as used in Germany for sausage and cheese, with paper composite solutions offering identical functionality, including different amounts of paper in the top web and in the tray web.


One result: The use of paper in general has a positive influence on the reduction of carbon emissions. This means that the impact on the greenhouse effect is smaller than it is for the reference systems made of pure plastics that were also examined in the study. There were also clear improvements in terms of ozone production, i.e. the reduction of summer smog.
 

Paper cannot replace plastics

There is no silver bullet. Paper cannot fully replace plastics since it does not meet the high demands in terms of optimum product protection. The ideal material mix depends on the food products to be packaged as well as on the functions to be provided by a package.

Broad range of packaging solutions

Consumers expect a responsive use of resources. This expectation also influences package development. Using paper composites, the Wipak Group has responded to the trend towards sustainability at an early stage, complementing the product range of high-quality multilayer and barrier films with more innovative paper composites later on. A selection of composite concepts will be presented by Wipak at the FachPack exhibition. The “Paper Top“ version e.g. replaces paper polyester as a print carrier. The amount of renewable resources reaches approximately 35 percent so that the use of fossil raw materials has been reduced by about 30 percent. With the “Paper Bottom“ version, the amount of paper can reach more than 50 percent, depending on the composite structure.

New marketing approaches

While paper composite solutions are still niche products, their market share grows constantly. Paper composites offer new unique selling propositions at the POS. Using the knowledge of how sustainable a packaging really is, companies are able to differentiate themselves from the competition, assuming a more credible position in the customer’s view. It is therefore worthwhile taking a closer look even just for the marketing aspects alone.

Hybrid buses operating on regular services

© Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr 2012

As part of the support project Hybrids for an eco-friendly transport by the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU), 50 hybrid busses for twelve transportation companies in Germany were procured and operated on regular service.

PE INTERNATIONAL spearheads research work for this regular service project that was intensively analyzed with regard to practicability, acceptance and fuel consumption as well as to emission savings. The result shows that market maturity has already been reached referring to the technical availability. When analyzing fuel consumption, however, it became obvious that further optimizing processes are required for this young drive concept. Hybrid technology is considered positively by both drivers and passengers.

>> Check out the Study - Model Region Electromobility

Industry Report: PE INTERNATIONAL is again Market Leader

The recently published Enterprise Carbon Accounting (ECA) report, an industry-leading buyer’s guide from Groom Energy, has selected PE INTERNATIONAL as 2013 market leader for the 5th consecutive year.

The worldwide adoption of carbon and sustainability software by large firms continues according to the report. In the past 24 months over 600 large corporations have purchased software - often with extended functionality in environmental reporting, supply chain surveys and energy management - compared to 250 deals in 2010 and 50 in 2009.

The Groom Energy research report especially commended the innovation and continuous development of PE INTERNATIONAL’s SoFi software for sustainability performance management. “Vendors need to serve a diverse market,” according to Paul Baier, author of the report and Vice President at Groom Energy. “Many companies expect basic carbon and environmental reporting in an easy-to-use and proven system. The more mature and advanced firms expect solutions to also support supply chain surveys, energy management, EHS modules and integration with ERP systems,” said Baier. “Currently in its fifth generation, SoFi by PE INTERNATIONAL delivers a convincing software package of energy, carbon, environmental and supply chain sustainability analytics combined with intuitive dashboard reporting that integrates well into existing IT landscapes and has been more than proven through strong growth in customer momentum.”

PE introduces performance to sustainability

Turning sustainability into a competitive advantage sounds good but can be difficult to do. Many companies today still struggle with obtaining reliable data and implementing a central performance evaluation which is the basis for reaping the benefits of higher operational efficiency and reduced cost. This is where SoFi software comes in: the solution streamlines automated and manual data collection and helps visualize, analyze and report on the sustainability performance of the company. Big and complex data is turned into intuitive analytics, reports and planning tools to uncover opportunities for increased energy efficiency and improved sustainability performance.

Growing customer base from Austria to North America

“SoFi software helps us identify the levers for our sustainability initiatives and evaluate the effectiveness of our measures” said Frank Hoelzl, the head of sustainability at the Austrian supermarket chain SPAR, who knows SoFi software from his daily work with over 800 stores and distribution centers. In addition to SPAR, diverse companies headquartered in 14 different countries selected SoFi software in 2012 alone, including Buckman chemicals (U.S.A.), Cleveland Clinics (U.S.A.), Daimler (Germany), Generali Insurance Group (Italy), Rexam packaging (UK) and Uponor heating/ cooling systems (Finland).

 

>> Download your complimentary copy now!

Forged aluminum wheels cut carbon footprint - Life Cycle Assessment for Alcoa

PE INTERNATIONAL conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study for Alcoa that concludes that aluminum wheels substantially cut the carbon footprint of commercial vehicles.

In North America, the study found that substituting 18 conventional steel truck wheels with Alcoa aluminum wheels cut carbon emissions by 16.3 metric tons over the lifetime of the wheels. In Europe, replacing 12 steel wheels with aluminum cut 13.3 metric tons of carbon emissions. In addition, the study found that the use of Alcoa forged aluminum wheels over steel wheels can be viewed as an active and highly efficient investment into the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the commercial vehicle sector.

Dr. Christoph Koffler from PE stated "Our findings are based on the full life cycle of Alcoa forged aluminum wheels—from the raw materials, through the production, distribution, use, disposal, and recycling of the product."

Most comprehensive LCA ever conducted on aluminium and steel truck wheels

This analysis is the most comprehensive and transparent comparative Life Cycle Assessment ever conducted on aluminum and steel truck wheels. It analyzed the entire “cradle-to-grave” production process of commercial vehicle wheels—from bauxite mining to wheel manufacturing, through a truck wheel’s use phase and end-of-life, including recycling and land filling.

The study incorporated the latest available information on energy and material consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental releases. Alcoa provided primary data for aluminum wheel production from five facilities: two in the United States (Cleveland and Barberton, OH), one in Mexico, Hungary, and Japan. PE INTERNATIONAL provided upstream data for fuels, raw materials, and steel wheel manufacturing processes, including primary metals and chemicals. The study conformed to ISO methodology and was peer reviewed by respected professionals in the LCA community, including experts from the world-renowned Technische Universitat Berlin and the University of Michigan.

Major findings presented at the LCA XII

Alcoa and PE INTERNATIONAL will present the findings of the LCA at the 12th Annual American Center for Life Cycle Assessment Conference in Tacoma, Washington on Tuesday, September 25, 2012.

>> Download the full study and read more

Tesco publishes over 1100 product carbon footprints

Tesco has set themselves demanding targets both to reduce carbon emissions of the products they sell by 30% by 2020, and to find ways to help customers reduce their carbon footprints by 50% by 2020. To help achieve this they have completed carbon footprint analysis of over 1,100 of their own-brand products.

Understanding the carbon footprints of these products helps Tesco to understand where greenhouse gas emissions arise, enabling them to reduce their impact on the environment. They have also used this information to carbon label over 500 products since 2008, and to provide helpful advice to their customers on how they can reduce their household carbon footprint. 

Find out more about carbon footprints of different products PDF 1MB

The theory and practice of LCA - Like ebony and ivory living in perfect harmony?

A newly published editorial in the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment is seeking to promote cooperation in the development and application of life cycle assessment (LCA) across both academia and business.

Bringing together the collective experience and expertise of 22 contributing authors from universities, commercial enterprises, industry groups, and research organizations, the work addresses both the scientific underpinnings of the practice and the business process value.

The editorial, “LCA’s theory and practice: like ebony and ivory living in perfect harmony? , provides the context for framing the discussion on LCA applications in business practice and develops a cogent and comprehensive business case for the use of LCA.  The paper concludes with an invitation to both academia and business practitioners to work collaboratively and learn from each other in pursuit of improved LCA methodologies.

 >> Download the article and read more

Design more sustainable products

Watch our free webinar replay to gain valuable insight how to deliver more sustainable products, reduce costs and enhance your brand.

Investment in product sustainability performance delivers proven benefits across the organization – from business strategy to product development to your operations and supply chain including:

Brand Enhancement > Cost Reductions> Product Differentiation > Product Operating Efficiency>Risk management & compliance

Learn how to deliver the best possible sustainable designs with GaBi Envision

GaBi Envision is employed across the entire product development team to easily integrate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into your product design process, quickly evaluate ‘what-if’ scenarios and effectively communicate environmental impacts. 

>> Watch the webinar replay!

 

Get insights into sustainability

PE INTERNATIONAL is recognized by its clients as being a thought leader on how sustainability concepts can be applied to organizations and to products.

Committed to sharing our knowledge, we offer not only our services as consultants but also our insights through numerous whitepapers, case studies, presentations, studies and webinars.

Check out the new resource section of our website!

New Product Carbon Footprint standard: ISO 14067

The new standard ISO 14067 for carbon footprints of products will provide much more specific guidance than the underlying ISO 14044:2006, Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Requirements and guidelines.

ISO 14067 calls for specific product category rules, including not only the specifications of ISO 14025:2006, Environmental labels and declarations – Type III environmental declarations – Principles and procedures, but also other sector-specific standards or internationally agreed guidance documents related to materials and product categories.

ISO 14067 expected for July 2013

The new standard builds largely on the existing ISO standards for life cycle assessments (ISO 14040/44) and environmental labels and declarations (ISO 14025) and is planned to become available as a Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) by February 2013, with publication expected for July 2013


To improve user-friendliness and consistency, working group WG 2, GHG management in the value or supply chain, of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 207, Environment management, subcommittee SC 7, Greenhouse gas management and related activities, decided to merge Part 1, Quantification, and Part 2, Communication. The working group allowed for a second round of balloting to ensure that the standard would earn broad support in all countries.

Addressing direct and indirect land-use changes

WG 2 decided to align the requirements for addressing direct and indirect land-use changes with the specifications of the revised PAS 2050. These requirements are informed by research in Europe and the American state of California, which elaborate details related to sustainability criteria for biofuels.

Buckman accelerates sustainability performance management with SoFi

Buckman, a privately held, global specialty chemical company, has selected SoFi, the Enterprise Sustainability Performance solution by PE INTERNATIONAL, to deliver improved sustainability data management, provide access to performance analysis tools, forecasting, benchmarking and content, and streamline their GRI reporting process.

Buckman, who works with worldwide customers in pulp and paper, leather and water treatment, has made a significant and long-term commitment to sustainable development.  After reviewing and assessing potential solutions that would meet the company’s numerous sustainability requirements, Buckman selected SoFi for its intuitive data management capabilities, sustainability benchmarks and best practice databases, and GRI-verified reporting.

SoFi is PE INTERNATIONAL’s powerful software platform for companies to obtain financial-grade sustainability information and manage sustainability performance for their own operations, their supply chain and their products. Buckman is using SoFi to track sustainability key performance indicators and produce its annual sustainability report according to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, streamlining the cumbersome and often time-consuming data collection process.


In commenting on the selection of SoFi for their sustainability needs, Barry Enix, Corporate Safety Director at Buckman said, “PE INTERNATIONAL brings combined sustainability services and software expertise to the table which offered a rapid and effective deployment of the SoFi Enterprise Sustainability Performance solution. The result for Buckman is that we now have a web based platform that centralizes our data collection, automates calculations of our carbon and energy footprint, delivers point-and-click sustainability reporting, reduces data errors, and incorporates embedded templates for GRI reporting.  All of this translates into greater operational efficiency and reduced risk for the organization.”

Sustainable Products with Life Cycle Assessment

You want to deliver more sustainable products to match your customers expectations and become more resource efficient in a world of price rises and legislative obligations? Check out our free LCA software demo and contact us!

 GaBi - the market leading Life Cycle Assessment software makes it easy for your business to carry out Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). GaBi 5 even helps your business to cut costs and make your production and supply chains more efficient.

So what does GaBi 5 do?

GaBi 5 models every element of a product or system from a life cycle perspective, equipping businesses to make the best informed decisions on the manufacture and lifecycle of any manufactured product, everything from a hand-held mobile phone to a match-stick to an airport.

It also provides an easily accessible content database detailing the energy and environmental impact of sourcing and refining every raw or processed element of a manufactured item.

In addition, it looks at the impact on the environment and presents alternative options for manufacturing, distribution, recyclability, pollution and sustainability.

Get your free software demo of the leading life cycle assessment tool for product sustainability!

New Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) on Decorative High-Pressure Laminates

ICDLI  - the International Committee of the Decorative Laminates Industry – has just published its EPD on Decorative High-Pressure Laminates.

The Environmental Product Declaration for decorative laminates is an important information for architects as well as construction engineers planning to use decorative laminates according to EN 438 part 3 and part 4 with a density of at least 1350m² for construction.

10 companies worked together with PE INTERNATIONAL to generate average environmental indicators according to the new standard on EPDs EN 15804. The German program holder IBU verified the EPD.

Download the full EPD here