Mid Sweden University

I evaluated, by a life cycle assessment, if the environmental performance of eco-labelled laptops differs from the one of laptops typically available on the market. I considered two labels: EPEAT and TCO.

The analysis of the eco-labels criteria revealed that the labels impose few changes on laptop design. Thus, their influence on the life cycle impact was minimal.

The production phase dominated the environmental impact. Because of the increased power efficiency of modern laptops and of their short assumed lifetime, the consumption of electricity during the use phase had less impact than production. Damages to human health and ecosystems were mostly caused by climate changes and those to resources were almost exclusively caused by consumption of fossil fuels. Recycling was beneficial but it could offset only a small part of production impact.

The obtained results suggested that managers of eco-labelling programs should concentrate their efforts, in future revisions of labelling criteria, on reducing the impact of laptops production and on extending their lifetime.