EcoComputer

About us

This study is being done by a project group of specialists and networks to provide the commission with the best information available to build background knowledge for future decisions regarding the EuP-directive. The core group consists of the project manager from the Industrial Research and Development Corporation (IVF), TCO Development and Swedish Environmental Research Institute Ltd. (IVL).

TCO Development will be used as a subcontractor to supply important information regarding the products and systems. The close connection between the project organisation and the computer and monitor industry is highly beneficial. TCO Development, through the TCO eco-labelling, has both substantial knowledge about the environmental impact of the products (materials and energy consumption), and excellent connections with the industry. TCO Development develops the criteria for the TCO labelling, and IVF does the testing regarding ecology for some of the labelled monitors and computers.

IVL will provide quality assurance for the project by applying the system approach and looking at complementary aspects of the data and assumptions used for the Base Cases. IVL will also compare the results of the Eco Report with those of the detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) for computers and monitors, as well as drawing conclusions about any missing data or information, inconsistencies and other similarly missing items. IVL will assist in the environmental impact assessment, checking relevance, completeness and sensitivity.

We have specialists in the IVF project group in business intelligence and futurology for economy and market analysis. They will also describe possible future use of personal computers, computer monitors and their future possible shapes – quite possibly not a laptop or desktop with a monitor. We have experts in electronics who will prepare current product descriptions and descriptions of possible technologies to improve that kind of equipment. The experts in LCA will measure the environmental impact, as well as the LCC of products today, and compare the different new options, both technologies available now or in the nearest future and the more futuristic scenarios. Our experts in Eco-design will help to use the LCA to find the best ways to improve the environmental impact, energy consumption, technological profile and costs situation of the products.