The Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies
The University of Tennessee (UT) Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies (CCPCT) is performing the data collection and analysis tasks in the Computer Display Project (CDP), working cooperatively with the Asian Technology Information Program (ATIP), Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC), the Electronics Industry Alliance (EIA), and other partners. To provide an overview of the project and its purpose and intent, the Introduction to the Goals and Scoping document is provided below. If you would like to obtain more information about the project, please contact the Project Manager, Maria Socolof.
To access copies of the final publications that resulted from the project, click here.
Additionally, links to other Computer Display Project-related Web sites are provided at the bottom of this page.
Click here for restricted access pages (as necessary).
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
The Design for the Environment (DfE) Program in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics has begun a voluntary, cooperative project with the electronics industry to assess the life-cycle environmental impacts of flat panel display (FPD) and cathode ray tube (CRT) technologies that can be used for desktop computers. EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics established the DfE Program in 1991 to encourage businesses to incorporate environmental concerns into their business decisions. DfE industry projects are cooperative, joint efforts with trade associations, businesses, public-interest groups, and academia to assist businesses in specific industries to identify and evaluate more environmentally sound products, processes, and technologies. Under the DfE Program, the Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment (CTSA) methodology (Kincaid et al. 1996) was developed to generate information needed by businesses to make environmentally informed choices and to design for the environment. The CTSA process involves comparative evaluations of substitute technologies, processes, products, or materials. Impact areas that are evaluated include human and ecological risk, energy and natural resource use, performance, and cost.
Another environmental evaluation tool increasingly used by industry is life-cycle assessment (LCA), which can be used to evaluate the environmental effects of a product, process, or activity. An LCA looks at the full life cycle of the product from materials acquisition to manufacturing, use, and final disposition. It is a comprehensive method for evaluating the full environmental consequences of a product system. There are four major components of an LCA study: goal definition and scoping, life-cycle inventory, impact assessment, and improvement assessment. The impact assessment portion is generally more generic and non-site specific than that of the CTSA.
Both tools have similar objectives; however, their applications generally differ. A CTSA is more site specific and evaluates actual (predicted) impacts. For example, techniques such as health risk assessment are incorporated into a CTSA. An LCA is more global and generic in nature and generally would not incorporate site-specific parameters when evaluating impacts. The LCA may also use surrogate measures to represent impacts instead of predicting or measuring actual impacts.
This project will employ both methodologies in comparing desktop computer display technologies for the electronics industry. It will perform the broad analysis of the LCA, which also incorporates many of the CTSA components (e.g., risk, social benefits/costs, energy impacts, natural resource use) into the impact assessment. The analysis, taken a step further, will also assess more specific impacts as well as addressing cost and performance data, typical of a CTSA. Since both methodologies require intensive data gathering efforts and can be extensive undertakings, the scope must be carefully and clearly defined. As this is a comparative analysis, common activities/processes may be excluded from the analysis so that the study can focus on differences among technologies. In addition to common activities, other areas that may be of less consequence to deciding on a technology may be excluded from the analysis. To this end, this project could be considered a streamlined LCA/CTSA. This document will explain what will be included in the study.
This scoping document presents the purpose, goals, boundaries, and assumptions anticipated for the study. The contents represent an initial understanding of the project after consultation with industry representatives, EPA, and other stakeholders. The scope can be modified throughout the project if new information is available to warrant such a modification. This document incorporates scoping as it is recommended in both the LCA (e.g., Curran 1996, Fava et al. 1991, ISO 1996) and CTSA processes (Kincaid et al. 1996).
1.2 Need for the Project
At present, computer displays using CRTs clearly dominate worldwide markets. They provide a rich, high-resolution display well suited to a wide range of user requirements. However, CRT displays are bulky, use large amounts of energy to operate, and are associated with disposal problems such as leaded glass. Color CRT monitors contain lead for purposes of x-ray attenuation and can, under some circumstances, be classified as a hazardous waste when disposed of. Newer technologies, collectively referred to as FPDs, have captured significant market segments. FPDs exhibit desirable qualities such as reduced size and weight and greater portability. Environmentally, they are expected to consume less energy during use and do not use leaded glass. However, they may consume more energy during manufacturing, contain small amounts of mercury, are more costly, and in the past have had lower resolution and image quality than the CRT. One category of FPD is the liquid crystal display (LCD), which is currently used predominately in notebook computers, but is already beginning to move into the desktop computer market. The 1997 worldwide market for desktop computers was 84 million units. The current estimated and future projected markets for desktop computer CRTs and LCDs are presented in Table 1-1. Market projections anticipate that LCDs will capture sizable market share for desktop computer displays.
Table 1-1. Desktop display markets estimated for 1997 and projected for 2001
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Number of displays (millions of units)
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Technology
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1997
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2001
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CRT - Worldwide
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84
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96
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CRT - North America
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32
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36
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LCD - Worldwide
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0.4
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6.4
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LCD - North America
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~0.2
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~3.2
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Sources: NEC 1998, SRI 1998, FCR 1996.
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While there has been some work done on the life-cycle impacts of either CRTs or LCDs, there has not been a quantitative, comparative LCA of both CRTs and LCDs. Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) published an Electronics Industry Environmental Roadmap (1994) that qualitatively discussed environmental issues and priority needs for reducing impacts from computer CRTs and FPDs. The Electronics Roadmap did not focus on all aspects of the displays' life cycles.
Some of the environmental impacts of CRTs (e.g., energy use, disposal of lead, and other end-of-life issues such as recycling) have been identified but not quantified in previous work, such as that done by EPA's Common Sense Initiative Computer and Electronics Subcommittee. Atlantic Consulting has recently completed a draft LCA of the personal computer (including a 15-inch monitor) for the European Union's Eco-Label program (Atlantic Consulting and IPU 1998). Further, the New Jersey Institute of Technology is currently conducting an LCA of television CRTs, which have the same technology as the computer monitor CRT.
Studies on the environmental impacts of FPDs are much less prevalent. A University of Michigan master's thesis (Koch 1996) evaluated the environmental performance of an LCD manufacturer. The thesis did not quantitatively assess environmental impacts from all life-cycle stages as would be done in an LCA. Therefore, in reviewing past or current efforts, we can conclude that a quantitative, comparative LCA of the CRT and LCD has not been done, nor has an evaluation of this industry segment been done in the context of a DfE CTSA (i.e., including risk, cost, and performance).
Given the expected market growth of LCDs for computer displays, the various environmental concerns throughout the life cycle of the computer displays, and the fact that the relative life-cycle environmental impacts of LCDs and CRTs have not been scientifically established to date, there is a need for a comparative environmental life-cycle analysis of desktop computer display technologies. As companies are considering investing in certain displays, they can refer to the results of this study to assist them in making environmentally informed decisions. Further, manufacturers can identify areas for improvement concerning the environmental burdens.
1.3 Study Purpose
The purpose of this study is to scientifically evaluate life-cycle environmental impacts of FPDs and CRTs for desktop computers, by combining LCA and CTSA methodologies. This study will compare different types of LCD technologies to the CRT as well as to one another. In addition to addressing environmental impacts, information on the relative performance and cost of CRT and LCD technologies will be collected from industry and summarized in the project. This study is designed to provide the electronics industry with information needed to improve the environmental attributes of desktop computer displays. It will also provide the industry and consumers with valuable information to make environmentally informed decisions regarding display technologies and enable them to consider the relative environmental merits of a technology along with its performance and cost.
1.4 Targeted Audience and Use of the Study
The electronics industry will be the primary users of the study results. The study is intended to provide industry with an analysis that compares the life-cycle environmental impacts, cost, and performance of selected computer display technologies. Scientific verification of the relative environmental impacts, performance, and cost will allow industry to redirect efforts towards products and processes that reduce releases of toxic chemicals and reduce risks to health and the environment. Given the results, the industry can then perform an improvement assessment of the display technologies. This will also allow the electronics industry to make environmentally informed choices about display technologies when assessing and implementing improvements such as changes in product, process, and activity design; raw material use; industrial processing; consumer use; and waste management.
Another result of the study will be an accounting of the relative environmental impacts of the various components of the computer display, thus identifying opportunities for product improvements to reduce potential adverse environmental impacts and costs. Identification of impacts from the computer display technologies can also encourage industry to implement pollution prevention options, such as development and demonstration projects, and technical assistance and training. Since this study will incorporate a more detailed health risk component than in traditional LCAs, the electronics industry will be able to use the tools and data to evaluate the health, environmental, and energy implications of the technologies. With this evaluation, the U.S. electronics industry will be more prepared to meet the demands of extended product responsibility that are growing in popularity in the global marketplace, and better able to meet competitive challenges in the world market.
EPA and interested members of the public will also benefit from the project. The project will provide a forum for industry and public stakeholders to work cooperatively and can be used by stakeholders as a scientific reference for the evaluated display technologies. The results of the project could also be of value to other industries involved in designing environmental improvements into the life cycle of consumer products.
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