Life cycle assessment of two personal electronic products-a note with respect to the energy-using product directive

Personal electronic products have received little attention regarding life cycle assessment (LCA), possibly due to the fact that their energy consumption is not high in general. In fact, the European Union has decided to enforce a law (Directive 2005/32/EC, the EuP Directive hereafter) for regulating the environmental consequences of all energy-using products (EuPs), the scope of which also covers such personal electronic products. In complying with the directive, LCA is a useful tool to draw conclusion and to compare the performance of alternatives. In this connection, a pilot study is carried out to assess the environmental impacts of two personal electronic products through LCA, subject to the scope of the said directive. Main objective of this technical note is to raise the awareness of eco-design for personal electronic products.