Technology life cycle
assessments
Viktor Arvidsson

Life cycle assessments (LCA)
Scope: our products/services life cycle
Supply chain Ericsson Use phase End of life
Manufacturing & office sites Transports Products energy Collection/treatment
Transports Office & manufacturing sites consumption Recycling of metals
Raw materials & chemicals Business travel Offices & stores Landfill
Vehicle fleet Resource depletion
LCA standards: ISO 14040, 14044

CO2 emission per mobile subscriber
200
Ericsson networks,
AMPS LCA based data
Annual CO2 /subscriber
150
100
GSM
WCDMA
[kg]
50
25
Year
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Now about 20-25 kg CO2 per year – Same as driving a car for 1 hour

Benefits of doing LCA
› Getting a complete, holistic picture (including
manufacturing and end-of-life-treatment)
› LCAs gives strength in any environmental communication
with authorities, customers, etc.
› All emissions can be included, not just CO2, for the whole
supply chain, from concrete in tower fundaments to ICs
used in mobile phones

Ericsson life cycle carbon footprint
2008, based on Life Cycle Assessments
Mton CO2e

LCA of mobile broadband
Annual kg CO2e / average subscriber in WCDMA/HSPA network
40
30
20
10
0
Mobile phone Mobile phone RBS site RBS operation Operator Core network
use
Total CO2e:
Manufacturing 2001: 55 kg
2005: 35 kg
2007: 25 kg

LCA of fixed broadband / PC
Annual kg CO2 / average PC unit (world average)
250
200
150
100
50
0
PC PC use Modem Access Transmission "Internet“ and
manufacturing & Transport data centers
Operation
Manufacturing

Carbon emissions from ICT
Study performed by Ericsson Research (2007)
million ton CO2 e
500
Operation of end-
400 user equipment
Network operation
300
Manufacturing &
200
business overheads
100
0
PC Data Fixed Mobile
industry centers telecom telecom

ICT and climate change
Transport
Forestry & Travel
17% 13%
Agriculture Energy
supply
ICT:
14%
26% 1.4% CO2e
Waste
3%
2% CO2
Industry Buildings
19% 8%
Global CO2e 2007:
Global carbon emissions 49 billion ton
7.4 ton per capita
reported by IPCC (2007)

ICT services and APPLICATIONS
› Teleworking, flexi-working
› Virtual communication, virtual presence
› m/e-commerce, ”Internet shopping”
› From products to services dematerialization
and to digital media dematerialization
› m/e-health, m/e-governance, m/e-learning,
etc.
› Smart manufacturing and transport systems
› Smart buildings and the future smart electric
grid
› Information, monitoring and control
› ”21st Century Infrastructure”
ICT can substitute, reduce and make the remaining use of buildings,
vehicles, etc. much more efficient - LCA is the method to prove it

ICT reduction potential (estimates)
› Smart 2020 -15% (ICT about 2%)
› WWF -22% (ICT about 2%)
› ”Climate Positive”
5% 10% 20%
The ICT lever can give large momentum to reductions

Conclusions
› ICT respresents about 2% of the world’s CO2
emissions
› The 21st century infrastructure that ICT has created
can deliver basic services that contribute to
sustainable development for the world's population
› LCA is the method to be used when validating the
environemntal impact and reduction potentials from
existing and future ICT services and applications