Computers, monitors, printers
Computers, monitors and imaging equipment are the cornerstone of information and communication technologies. The rapid expansion of internet and e-services is creating additional electricity consumption and vast amounts of electronic scrap. As Greenpeace highlights in its Green Electronics campaigns, this industry is still far from sustainable. The stock of personal computers and servers in Europe is expected to double by 2020 with increasingly powerful - and energy intensive - products.
Despite the voluntary Energy Star program, the sector is expected to consume 20 additional TWh of yearly electricity by 2020 (as much as the residential consumption of Belgium). And toxic electronic waste are still flooding our and developing countries’ landfills, with poor consequences for the environment.
What does the coolproducts campaign want?
• Energy Star specifications to become a minimum requirement in Europe by 2012.
• Additional energy guzzling components (such as powerful graphic cards) to be regulated by energy efficiency standards.
• Resource efficiency to be better addressed, i.e. not only during the use phase but also in the conception (the manufacturing of chipsets and electronic circuits is incredibly intensive in energy and materials and often underestimated in studies).
• Electronics to be made less toxic, more recyclable and recycled, and their lifetime expanded by easier upgradeability and repairability.
• High electricity consuming gadgets, such as digital photo frames, to be severely limited.
What is the European Union doing and what’s our position?
Ecodesign measures for computers, servers, monitors, printers, copiers and other electronics are being discussed. For some products, the stakes have been promising (i.e. Energy Star 5.0 to be made mandatory for medium-sized computers), however the measures are currently delayed and time is wasted. For other products, unambitious voluntary schemes by manufacturers could be privileged.
It has proven very difficult to ensure that the concept of ecodesign is not restricted to energy efficiency but also captures other sustainability aspects.
(Last update: May 2011)
Further reading:
- Article written by the coolproducts campaign 'Will Europe lead the way on green computers?'
- our concerns about the use of voluntary agreements instead of legislation
- Find out more about the EU process on our expert pages.
-Chose/compare the most efficient products at Topten.info