No abstract

No abstract

There is growing need for effective and efficient environmental assessment tools for information technology (IT) products. This paper presents a streamlined life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology using a screening and triage approach. The methodology is applied to the case study of liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Global warming potential uncertainty is reduced by identifying and resolving uncertainty around key drivers of impact. The resolution of impact continues until a meaningful level of reduction of uncertainty is achieved, such as the ability to discriminate one class of LCD from another.

One of the goals of The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) is to bridge the divide between rigorous scientific analysis of the life cycle of consumer goods and the ability of the purchaser/ consumer to absorb and act on the environmental impact information provided from such an analysis. TSC has approached this issue through the development of the Sustainability Measurement and Reporting System (SMRS), which describes a process that facilitates the communication of environmental impacts derived from life cycle analysis to a broader lay audience.Based on ISO 14025 Type III environmental declarations, the SMRS provides the common rules for reporting impacts and creates a product declaration that can underpin any number of consumer communication modes. This paper presents the SMRS methodology and its application to laptop computers.

No abstract