Significance of intermediate production processes in life cycle assessment of electronic products assessed using a generic compact model

Journal article, 2005

In this paper a generic model for life cycle inventory (LCI) data collection is presented and applied to a product system of a digital system telephone (DST). It is also shown that intermediate unit processes (IUPs) are of global warming importance. Compared to earlier efforts in the field of environmental life-cycle assessment of electronic products, the developed model enables a more partitioned LCA result, with respect to both components and processes. In our model the components are first divided into main groups and then into sub-groups. This division results in process modules for unit processes, some of which are similar for the ingoing components, thus reducing the computational effort. The model is demonstrated for a “cradle-to-gate” calculation focusing on greenhouse gas emissions. Using scenario analysis for integrated circuits and printed wiring boards, the possible contribution from IUPs was analysed.