Historical perspective
Information Society and
Sustainable Consumption
Eric Williams
United Nations University
1st International Workshop:
Life cycle approaches to
Sustainable Consumption
19-20 March 2003
Tokyo, Japan
The Information Technology
revolution should also
profound implications for
environmental issues
The combustion engine and
electricity not only shaped
economy and society, but
also defined the
environmental challenges
facing the modern world.
Project on
IT and environment
• Started in 2001
• Consortium: UNU, Tokyo University
of Science, InterRisk Research &
Consulting Inc., Carnegie Mellon, UC
– Berkeley
• Funding: Japan Foundation - Center
for Global Partnership
• Activities: research, dissemination
(symposia, multimedia website)
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The United Nations University
(UNU)
• Think-tank for the UN
system (not degree
granting university)
• UNU Centre in Tokyo
• Network of Research and
Training centers around
the world.
• Overall topics:
– Environment and Sustainable
Development
– Peace and Governance
Review of selected results
1. LCA of microchip
2. End-of-life management of
computers: resell, upgrade,
recycle
3. Macro-energy savings from
telecommuting
How does IT affect
environmental issues?
1. Impacts of a new sector:
production, use and disposal of
IT hardware
2. Driver of Eco-efficiency (efficient
products/services, management,
dematerialization, enhanced
R&D)
3. Driver of economic growth
(effective income increases)
The Macro microchip 1
Context: IT hardware production has
grown explosively in recent decades,
e.g. average annual growth of global
semiconductor industry is 16% per year
What are the environmental implications
of this new industry? High-tech is often
perceived to be low impact.
Life cycle assessment of energy,
chemicals and water use in production
of a 32MB DRAM chip.
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 From quartz to wafers 1
Stage Elect energy Silicon Data sources
input/kg silicon Yield

Quartz + carbon → 13 kWh 90% Harben, 99; Dosaj, 97

silicon Jackson, 96
Silicon → 50 kWh 90% Takegoshi, 94;
trichlorosilane O’Mara et al, 90
Trichlorosilane → 250 kWh 42% Tsuo et.al, 98; O’Mara,
polysilicon 90;Takegoshi, 94
Polysilicon → 250 kWh 50% Takegoshi, 94
single crystal ingot
Single crystal ingot → 240 kWh 56% Takegoshi, 94;
silicon wafer Lammers and Hara, 96
Process chain to 2,130 kWh 9.5%
produce wafer

Production of silicon wafers requires around 160 times

The energy required for “industrial” grade silicon

Fossil fuel, chemical, and

water use 1 Entropy and energy use 1

For 1 memory chip, lower bounds are:
• Fossil fuels consumed in production = 1,200
grams
• Fossil fuels consumed in use = 440 grams
• Chemicals “destructively” consumed = 72 grams
• Water use is 36,000 grams per chip.
Chip manufacture is extremely energy and
chemicals intensive. Fossil fuels to make
one chip is 600 times the weight of the
chip. For automobile, figure is 1~2,
aluminum can 4-5.

Why? Chip is extremely organized both at

Total fossil fuel and chemical use to produce 2 gram
memory chip ≥ 1.7 kg
microscopic and mesoscopic scales.
Reduction of entropy requires energy.

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End-of-life computers: 2 End-of-life computers: 2
Resell, Upgrade, Recycle Resell, Upgrade, Recycle
Energy use in different phases of life cycle of
Rapid growth and rate of obsolescence gives desktop computer (home user)
rise to problem of what to do with end-of-life
electronics. Various national and regional Life cycle stage Notation Value
legislation: e.g. WEEE in EU, recycling law in
Japan Production EM 5600 MJ
Use (2 year 1st lifespan) EUse 910 MJ
Use (3 year 1st lifespan) EUse 1360 MJ
Evaluate waste management wisdom (3R’s) for
computers: 2nd lifespan 1-2 years
• Resell – used computer to secondary users Upgrade EUｐ
• Upgrade – replace processor, memory, hard disc (energy to make processor, 1750 MJ
• Recycle – disassemble computer, recover materials memory, hard disc)
(metals, glass, plastic) ER -280 MJ
Recycle (theoretical limit.
-1360 MJ)

Results 2 Telecommuting 3
LCE = E M − r1 E M − r 2 (E M − E Up ) + E use + E L − r 3 (E L − E R )

Life cycle e ne rgy sav ings from 10% imple me ntation • Telecommuting decreases energy
10.0% use in transport and commercial
8.0% building sectors, increases
6.0% residential consumption.
4.0%
• In Japan, 4-day telecommuting for
2.0%
mobile sales, service and specialty
0.0%
Res ell Upgrade Recycle
workers could save 1.0% of
national energy use (source:
Case: desktop computer, home use, base case Williams 03).
Source: Williams and Sasaki (2003)

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 Growth and the
Other results
environment
1. Energy of Sales/distribution for E- • If technology keeps getting so
commerce for books (Matthews and
Hendrickson (US); Williams and much better, why do global
Tagami (Japan)) greenhouse emissions
2. Energy consumption of wireless vs. continue to rise?
wired networks (Matthews et. al)
• Growth (income, population)
3. Analysis of effects of IT investments
on economic structure and energy continues to be faster than
use (Mori and Yoda) efficiency improvements: the
consumption problem

Income and embodied energy IT and

of consumption sustainable consumption
Estimates of total energy from combining economic input-output analysis
and consumption expenditure surveys (US, 97 IO tables) 1. Shifts in transport and building
Total energy - Income energy use due to adoption of
900000 digital lifestyles
800000

700000 y = 5.4313x + 231644 2. Effects of knowledge goods on

2
R = 0.9597
the embodied energy of a typical
Total energy (MJ)

600000

500000

400000
basket of consumer products
300000
3. Consumption rebound effects
200000

100000
driven by IT-stimulated economic
0
US$0 US$20,000 US$40,000 US$60,000 US$80,000 US$100,000 US$120,000
growth/price reductions
Income ($)

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 IT, consumption and
economic growth
• IT contributes to growth both
directly (IT sectors) and
indirectly (application of IT)
• For US in late 90’s,IT
hardware, software, services
accounted to 33% of growth.
• 10$ increase in income implies
10 kg additional fossil fuel
consumption.
Conclusion: Social response
• Analysis must eventually lead to
practical recommendations for gov.
policy, firm strategies, civil action
• Various possible mechanisms:
– Consumption taxes (how big?)
– Rationing (e.g. emission permits)
– Incentives to implement telework, etc.
– R&D support for dematerialization
technologies (e.g. e-paper)
Preliminary result:
3 Rebound Effect and 3
e-commerce
• E-commerce vendors can often offer
lower prices (less overhead)
• Books are on average $1.35 cheaper
on the Internet (in the US), thus e-
commerce purchase of one book
induces 7.3 MJ of embodied energy
use.
• Total energy for sales/distribution of
books in Japan is around 5-6 MJ/book
• Price rebound effect is significant.
Thank you!
More information:
www.it-environment.org
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Evolving consumer
expenditures in Japan
Estimates of total energy from combining economic input-output analysis and consumption expenditure surveys
(US, 97 tables)

12%

10%

Eating out
Utilities
Share of income spent

8%
Furnishings
Clothes
Health, insurance
6% Transport
Education
Enablers
4% Light goods
Entertainment
Reading
Services
2% Other

0%
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