ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.1 (2015-02)

Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)

ETSI STANDARD
Environmental Engineering (EE);
Methodology for environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
goods, networks and services
2 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)

Reference
RES/EE-EEPS14
Keywords
LCA
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3 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights . 7
Foreword . 7
Modal verbs terminology . 7
Introduction . 7
1 Scope . 11
2 References . 11
2.1 Normative references . 12
2.2 Informative references . 12
3 Definitions and abbreviations . 13
3.1 Definitions . 13
3.2 Abbreviations . 17
4 Void . 20
Part I: ICT life cycle assessment - framework and guidance . 20
5 General description. 20
5.1 General description of an LCA . 20
5.2 Compliance to the present document. 21
5.3 Comparisons of results . 22
5.4 Relationship between methodologies of LCAs for ICT goods, networks and services . 22
6 Methodological framework . 23
6.1 General requirements . 23
6.1.1 Life cycle stages . 23
6.1.2 The goods, networks and services Product System . 24
6.1.2.1 ICT goods . 24
6.1.2.2 ICT networks. 24
6.1.2.3 ICT services . 25
6.1.3 Handling of software . 25
6.1.3.1 General . 25
6.1.3.2 Assessment of software . 26
6.1.4 Operating lifetime . 26
6.2 Goal and scope definition . 27
6.2.1 Goal and scope of the study . 27
6.2.2 Functional unit . 28
6.2.2.1 General . 28
6.2.2.2 ICT goods . 29
6.2.2.3 ICT networks. 29
6.2.2.4 ICT services . 30
6.2.3 System boundaries . 30
6.2.3.1 General . 30
6.2.3.2 The use of unit processes . 33
6.2.3.3 ICT goods . 33
6.2.3.3.1 General . 33
6.2.3.3.2 Goods Raw materials acquisition . 34
6.2.3.3.3 Production . 34
6.2.3.3.4 Use . 36
6.2.3.3.5 End-of-life treatment (EoLT) . 37
6.2.3.4 ICT Networks . 38
6.2.3.5 ICT Services . 39
6.2.3.5.1 General . 39
6.2.3.5.2 Eight items to consider . 39
6.2.4 Cut-off rules . 41
6.2.5 Data quality requirements . 42
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4 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)
6.2.5.1 General . 42
6.2.5.2 Specific requirements on data and data sources . 43
6.3 Life cycle inventory (LCI). 45
6.3.1 Data collection . 45
6.3.1.1 General . 45
6.3.1.2 ICT goods . 45
6.3.1.2.1 Use stage energy consumption of ICT goods . 46
6.3.1.2.2 ICT goods data for other life cycle stages . 46
6.3.1.2.3 Energy mixes . 46
6.3.1.2.4 Handling of LCI results for electricity and energy . 46
6.3.1.3 ICT networks. 47
6.3.1.4 ICT services . 47
6.3.2 Data calculation . 47
6.3.2.1 General . 47
6.3.2.2 ICT goods . 47
6.3.2.3 ICT networks. 48
6.3.2.4 ICT services . 49
6.3.3 Allocation procedure/Allocation of data . 49
6.3.3.1 General . 49
6.3.3.2 Allocation rules for generic processes. 49
6.3.3.3 Allocation rules for allocation of support activities between projects/product systems . 50
6.3.3.4 Allocation rules for facility data . 50
6.3.3.5 Allocation rules for transports . 50
6.3.3.6 Allocation rules for recycling . 50
6.3.3.7 ICT goods . 50
6.3.3.8 ICT networks. 51
6.3.3.9 ICT services . 51
7 Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) . 52
7.1 Impact categories . 52
8 Life cycle interpretation . 56
8.1 General . 56
8.2 Uncertainty analysis . 56
8.3 Sensitivity analysis . 56
9 Reporting . 56
9.1 General . 56
9.2 ICT goods . 58
9.2.1 Total results . 58
9.2.2 System boundaries . 60
9.2.2.1 Life cycle stages, unit processes and generic processes . 60
9.2.2.2 Raw material acquisition . 60
9.2.2.3 Production . 61
9.2.2.3.1 Parts production . 61
9.2.2.4 Use . 61
9.2.2.4.1 ICT goods use . 61
9.2.2.4.2 Support goods use. 61
9.2.2.5 EoLT . 61
9.2.3 LCI results . 61
9.3 ICT Network . 61
9.3.1 Total results . 62
9.4 ICT services . 64
9.4.1 Total results . 65
10 Critical review . 67
Part II: Comparative analysis/LCA between ICT and reference product system (baseline scenario):
framework and guidance . 68
11 General description of comparative analysis . 68
11.1 Need for comparative analysis . 68
11.2 Target systems for comparative analysis . 69
11.3 Principles of comparisons between systems (comparative analysis) . 69
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5 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)
11.3.1 First case: comparison between a reference product system and an ICT service . 69
11.3.2 Second case: comparison between two ICT goods or two ICT networks or two ICT services . 70
11.3.3 Common principles . 70
11.4 Procedures of comparisons between systems (comparative analysis) . 70
12 Methodological framework of comparative analysis . 71
12.1 General requirements . 71
12.2 Goal and scope definition . 71
12.2.1 Functional unit . 71
12.2.2 System boundaries . 71
12.2.3 Cut-off . 72
12.2.3.1 General . 72
12.2.3.2 Identification of life cycle stages and items important for comparison . 72
12.2.4 Allocation . 72
12.2.5 Data quality requirements . 72
12.3 Life cycle inventory. 72
12.4 Life cycle impact assessment . 72
12.5 Life cycle interpretation . 72
12.5.1 General . 72
12.5.2 Sensitivity analysis . 73
12.5.3 Uncertainty analysis . 73
13 Reporting . 74
14 Critical review . 75
Annex A (normative): Details regarding the handling of software . 76
Annex B (normative): Modelling of unit processes . 78
Annex C (normative): Support activities . 80
Annex D (normative): Generic processes . 81
Annex E (normative): Part types of ICT goods . 83
Annex F (normative): EoLT processes . 86
Annex G (normative): Elementary flows (emissions and resources) . 87
Annex H (normative): List of Raw materials . 90
Annex I: Void . 92
Annex J (normative): ICT network overview . 93
Annex K (normative): A method for assessing the environmental load of the working
environment . 95
K.1 Purpose of targeting the working environment in the assessment of ICT goods, networks and
services . 95
K.2 Functional unit . 95
K.3 System boundary . 95
K.4 Life cycle inventory (LCI) . 96
K.4.1 Data collection . 96
K.4.2 Data calculation . 96
K.4.3 Allocation procedure . 96
Annex L (normative): Reporting formats . 98
Annex M (informative): Example of an LCA of a Mobile Phone fully compliant with the
present document . 105
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6 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)
Annex N (informative): Life cycle stages overview . 137
Annex O (informative): Examples of goods and black box modules . 138
O.1 End-user goods . 138
O.2 CPE. 138
O.3 Network site goods (from base station sites to data centres) . 138
O.4 Examples of ICT specific black box modules . 139
O.5 Site support goods . 139
Annex P (informative): Examples of Networks and Network goods . 140
Annex Q (informative): Energy mix . 141
Annex R (informative): Examples of Allocation Procedures . 142
R.1 Allocation examples for Recycling of Materials . 142
R.1.1 Example of the 100/0 and 0/100 methods . 142
R.1.2 Example of the 50/50 method and combination of 100/0 and 50/50 . 143
Annex S (informative): Example of data quality indicators . 145
Annex T (informative): Uncertainties of life cycle assessments for ICT goods, networks and
services . 147
Annex U (informative): Opportunities and limitations in the use of LCAs for ICT goods,
networks and services . 149
Annex V (informative): Examples for calculating second order effects . 151
Annex W (informative): GWP values 100 year time frame (informative) . 154
Annex X (informative): Summary of requirements . 155
History . 167

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7 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)
Intellectual Property Rights
IPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in
respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web
server (http://ipr.etsi.org).
Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee
can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in ETSI SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web
server) which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.
Foreword
This final draft ETSI Standard (ES) has been produced by ETSI Technical Committee Environmental Engineering (EE),
and is now submitted for the ETSI standards Membership Approval Procedure.
The present document was developed jointly by ETSI TC EE and ITU-T Study Group 5. It will be published
respectively by ITU and ETSI as Recommendation ITU-T L.1410 and ETSI Standard ETSI ES 203 199, which are
technically-equivalent.
Modal verbs terminology
In the present document "shall", "shall not", "should", "should not", "may", "may not", "need", "need not", "will",
"will not", "can" and "cannot" are to be interpreted as described in clause 3.2 of the ETSI Drafting Rules (Verbal forms
for the expression of provisions).
"must" and "must not" are NOT allowed in ETSI deliverables except when used in direct citation.
Introduction
The present document has been developed to complement ISO 14040 [1] and ISO 14044 [2] for the environmental
assessment of the life cycle impact of ICT goods, networks and services.
The present document defines a set of requirements to reflect the quality that practitioners should strive for. At this
stage some of the requirements put forward here are considered as challenging due to life cycle assessment (LCA) tool
limitations, a lack of data, limitations in data granularity, etc. It is thus recognized that compliance to all requirements in
the present document may not be possible at the time the present document is published. However, to foster results of
LCAs becoming more transparent and, for the quality of data and LCA tools to improve over time, the present
document is defining the requirements outlined in the following pages. The present document requires that deviation(s)
from the requirements are clearly motivated and reported. For further details regarding compliance refer to clause 5.2.
The development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has led to concerns regarding its
environmental impact. Taking into consideration the ongoing efforts within the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change [b-UNFCCC] to combat climate change, ITU-T and ETSI decided to enhance their previous work
by jointly developing an internationally agreed methodology to help the ICT sector to assess the environmental impact
of ICT goods, networks and services. The present document also gives guidance to the assessment of software.
Unlike many products and services sold in the world today, ICT distinguishes itself by its double-edged nature. On the
one hand, ICTs have an environmental impact at each stage of its life cycle, e.g. from energy and natural resource
consumption to e-waste. On the other hand, ICTs can enable vast efficiencies in lifestyle and in all sectors of the
economy by the provision of digital solutions that can improve energy efficiency, inventory management and business
efficiency by reducing travel and transportation, e.g. tele-working and video conferencing and by substituting physical
products for digital information, e.g. e-commerce.
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8 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)
These different levels of impact are acknowledged in some academic literature as the three order effects of ICTs:
• First order effects (or the environmental load of ICTs): the impacts created by the physical existence of ICTs
and the processes involved, e.g. energy consumption and GHG emissions, e-waste, use of hazardous
substances and use of scarce, non-renewable resources.
• Second order effects (or the environmental load reduction achieved by ICTs): the impacts and opportunities
created by the use and application of ICTs. This includes environmental load reduction effects which can be
either actual or potential, such as travel substitution, transportation optimization, working environment
changes, use of environmental control systems, use of e-business, e-government, etc.
NOTE: E.g. if an ICT service offers a reduced need for transport, the travel substitution replacing transportation
by car is actual - the car does not run - whereas the reduced need for travel by public transport is
potential - the plane, train or metro is still running if the timetable has not changed. However, the large
scale deployment of video conferencing and tele-working (telecommuting) in the future will likely change
lifestyles and impact on social structure and while it is expected to substantially reduce traffic volume,
further research is required to assess what the full impact (including rebound effects) will be.
Other effects:
• include the impacts and opportunities created by the aggregated effects on societal structural changes by using
ICTs;
• particularly include, for some ICT services such as tele-working or video conferencing, the time gained by an
end user using an ICT service which then may cause additional impact e.g. a leisurely drive and economic
activities, which are difficult to track. Such additional impacts are often defined as "rebound effects".
Most of the benefits of ICTs lie in the second order effects via increased efficiency, transparency, speed of transactions,
rapid market-clearing, long-tail effects and so on. There are environmental impacts associated with the first order:
environmental impact of ICT goods, networks and services such as resource consumption and carbon emissions during
manufacturing and the disposal of hardware. Other effects await further exploration due to the many uncertainties
involved. While these other effects may be critical in constructing a more sustainable society, much more research on
this remains to be done. Thus, the present document focuses on the first and second order effects. Further research in the
area of other effects is encouraged.
In constructing a sustainable society from an environmental viewpoint, the negative aspects of ICTs should be
minimized and the positive ones should be maximized, as summarized in figure 1.
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9 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)

Figure 1: Schematic model for the environmental assessment
of ICT goods, networks and services
The first order effect (or environmental load caused by ICT) can be quantified by performing a life cycle assessment
(LCA). The second order effect (or environmental load reduction achieved by ICT) can be quantified by the comparison
of LCA results between the ICT goods, networks and services product system and the reference product system
performing the same function.
To reflect the first two order effects, the present document describes environmental assessments through Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) which is a systematic analytical method and model by which the potential environmental effects
related to ICT goods, Networks and Services can be estimated. The present document also gives guidance to the
assessment of software. LCAs have a cradle-to-grave scope where the life cycle stages, i.e. raw material acquisition,
production, use and end-of-life are included. Transports and energy supply are moreover included in each life-cycle
stage.
ISO has standardized the LCA methodology. In the present document, ICT specific additions to the ISO 14040 [1] and
ISO 14044 [2] standards will be described. As addition to the ISO 14040 [1] and ISO 14044 [2] standards, the European
Commission has published a handbook that gives detailed guidance on all the steps required to conduct an LCA [i.2].
This handbook will also be referred to with special ICT considerations in mind.
The standard is divided into two parts:
• Part I (clauses 5-10) - ICT life cycle assessment: framework and guidance. This part deals with the LCA
methodology applied to ICT goods, networks and services.
• Part II (clauses 11-14) - Comparative analysis between an ICT product system and a reference product system
(baseline scenario): framework and guidance. This part deals with comparative analysis based on LCA results
of the ICT goods, networks and services product system and the reference product system.
The structure of this LCA methodology specification for ICT goods, Networks and Services is shown in figure 2. The
figure indicates where specific requirements and considerations apply for ICT goods, networks and services
respectively and where the same requirements and considerations apply for all of those product systems.
ETSI
Reporting
Comparative assertion between
ICT and non-ICT services
Life Cycle Interpretation
Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)
Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)
Goal and scope definition
General requirements
10 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)
Services
Network
Equipment
Figure 2: Structure of LCA methodology specification
for ICT goods, Networks and Services
The structure of part I and part II is based on ISO 14040 [1] and ISO 14044 [2] in order to support the practitioner and
thus each part is structured in accordance with:
• General requirements: high level requirements of assessment.
• Goal and scope definition: requirements of the functional unit, system boundaries and data quality.
• Life cycle inventory (LCI): requirements for data collection, calculation and allocation.
• Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA): requirements for impact assessment.
• Life cycle interpretation: requirements for the interpretation of results and calculation of second order effects.
• Reporting: requirements for reporting.
Both parts are then divided into applicable clauses and Part I is additionally structured into the three product system
types, i.e. ICT goods, networks and services as appropriate.
The present document is intended for LCA practitioners wanting to assess ICT goods, networks and services impacts
and it will help them to perform and report their LCAs of ICT goods, Networks and Services in a uniform and
transparent manner. It is possible to use the present document to get guidance on what to consider in an LCA on three
levels: ICT goods, Networks and Services.
The following uses of ICT LCA applications are the most frequently used ones, but others may be identified and used as
well:
• Evaluation of product system environmental impact, such as climate change.
• Assessment of primary energy consumption.
• Identification of life cycle stages and activities with high significance.
• Comparisons of specific ICT goods, Networks, or Services under the conditions described in clause 5.3
(Comparisons of results).
• Comparative analysis between an ICT product system and reference product system.
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11 Final draft ETSI ES 203 199 V1.3.0 (2014-12)
1 Scope
The present document aims to provide a methodology for evaluating the environmental impact of ICTs objectively and
transparently and is based upon the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology standardized in ISO 14040 [1] and
ISO 14044 [2].
The present document can be read by anyone aiming for a better understanding of the specific conditions and
requirements applicable to the LCA of ICT goods, networks and services. However, the present document is especially
intended for LCA practitioners with a prior knowledge of LCA standards, i.e. ISO 14040 [1] and ISO 14044 [2].
The purpose of the present document is to:
• provide ICT-specific requirements, in addition to those of ISO 14040 [1] and ISO 14044 [2], to ensure a
sufficient quality of LCA studies of ICT goods, networks and services; increase the quality of the LCA by
adding ICT specific requirements to those of ISO 14040 [1] and ISO 14044 [2];
• harmonize the LCAs of ICT goods, Networks and Services;
• increase the credibility of LCAs of ICT goods, networks and services;
• increase the transparency and facilitate the interpretation of LCA studies of ICT goods, networks and services;
• facilitate the communication of LCA studies of ICT goods, networks and services; and
• provide a methodology for telecommunication operators and service providers to assess the environmental
load of one or more Services carried by their ICT Networks.
While recognizing ISO 14040 [1] and ISO 14044 [2], including annex A of ISO 14040 [1] "Application of LCA", as
normative references, the present document will give generic and specific requirements for the LCA of ICT goods,
networks and services. The present document is valid for all types of ICT goods including end-user goods and also for
ICT networks and services. The present document also gives guidance to the assessment of software. Practitioners are
encouraged to also consider other environmental aspects in accordance with ISO 14040 [1] and ISO 14044 [2].
The present document defines a set of requirements which reflect the quality that practitioners should strive for. At this
stage some of the requirements put forward here are considered as challenging due to LCA tool limitations, a lack of
data, limitations in data granularity, etc. It is thus recognized that compliance to all requirements in the present
document may not be possible at the time the present document is published. However, to foster results of LCAs
becoming more transparent and, for the quality of data and LCA tools to improve over time, the present document
defines the requirements outlined in the following pages. The present document requires that deviation(s) from the
requirements are clearly motivated and reported. For further details regarding compliance refer to clause 5.2.
Comparisons of results from environmental assessments of ICT goods, networks and services, assessments which have
been performed by different organizations are beyond the scope of the present document, as such comparisons would
require that the assumptions and context of each study are exactly equivalent.
2 References
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific. For specific references, only the cited version applies. For non-specific references, the latest version of the
reference document (including any amendments) applies.
Referenced documents which are not found to be publicly available in the expected location might be found at
http://docbox.etsi.org/Reference.
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