TOWARDS A GREEN(ER) COMPUTER

BLOGPOST, Wed 4 May 2011 10:30, Gerard van Westrienen

My hobby is photography, and I edit the photos on my computer. My five-year-old PC was not powerful enough to run the latest version of my editing software, so I decided to buy a new one.

Besides the functional requirements, I was concerned about sustainability. But buying a sustainable PC turned out to be easier said than done – computers don't come with energy labels like cars or fridges, even though a computer consumes just as much electricity annually as a fridge does. The EU doesn't make it obligatory for ICT equipment to have an energy label, so you have to investigate matters for yourself.

Energy consumption in the use phase

The website of the European Community Energy Star Programme for energy efficient office equipment refers you to a database that lists the most energy-efficient PCs. Unfortunately, the brand of computer that I was thinking about buying was not on the list. Computers are ranked there mainly on the basis of their energy consumption during the use phase of the computer's life. The energy consumed during the production phase and the waste phase is not taken into account, although it is in fact considerable. The TCO certificate – as an eco-label for IT products – adopts a broader, more chain-oriented approach.

Environmental pollution

Computers also contain numerous toxic substances that produce pollution during the production, use, and waste phases. The international Make IT Fair network has designated 7 May 2011 as an "international day of action" to call attention to the working conditions of the people who produce our IT equipment and the pollution that that equipment creates. The day of action will also focus on the IT industry, which can take the necessary steps. Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics ranks the 18 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs, and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling, and climate change.

An obligatory energy label !?

In the Netherlands, a group of organisations and companies is working to create a green PC. Their initiative – het kan wel (It's possible!) – involves, amongst others, the Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment (N&M), the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), Microsoft, and HP. The aim is also to help consumers understand the sustainability aspects of buying a new computer. It became clear at a recent meeting that developing an unambiguous standard is no simple matter. My own view is that we should start by introducing an energy label like the one we already have for cars and fridges, ranging from "A" for energy-efficient PCs to "G" for ones that really waste energy. After all, with the current generation of computers, more than 80% of the energy consumed in the whole chain is consumed in the use phase.

We are not of course talking about the green computer but about a greener computer. But the road to a totally green computer is still a long one, and relevant information is not easily available for the average consumer. An obligatory energy label would produce major savings on the cost of energy, for example in my own sector, higher education. And a compulsory label would have been enormously helpful to me in buying a new and more sustainable computer.

Gerard van Westrienen