Time: 15-16 June 2010, 11:00-19:00

Venue: Skeppsbron, Stockholm

The overall impact of the ICT and entertainment & media sectors is illustrated by a macro-perspective on greenhouse gas emissions. In 2007, an estimated 1.4% of global CO₂ equivalents were caused by the ICT sector and 1.7% by the entertainment & media sector. Within the ICT sector computer manufacturing and use are major sources of emissions, whereas emissions from telecom are lower. TVs and TV peripherals make up the largest share of emissions from the entertainment & media sector, followed by printed media.

There is a common belief that digital media solutions are generally environmentally superior to their printed paper counterparts. Pulp and paper production admittedly gives rise to considerable environmental impacts, but the ICT sector, with its multitude of electronic consumer devices, is also responsible for a significant environmental impact.

In her thesis, Åsa Moberg specifically considers the product-related environmental impacts of printed and electronic versions of books, newspapers and invoices. Environmental impacts include global warming, eutrophication, acidification and toxicological effects. Screening life cycle assessments provide information on the environmental impact of products ‘from cradle to grave’. Åsa Moberg’s results show that there is no clear-cut answer regarding whether bytes or paper are preferable from an environmental perspective. She found that the environmental benefit of energy efficient e-reading devices is counteracted by the environmental impact of manufacturing the devices.

Replacing printed with electronic invoices proved to be beneficial from a climate change and energy use perspective (other environmental impacts not addressed). There is already an electronic system for handling invoices at most businesses, so if end-consumers and other stakeholders can do without printed copies, replacement of printed invoices may be the correct option. However, an electronic invoice is much less beneficial if printed on a home printer.

The production and use of media products are not the only relevant aspects according to Åsa Moberg. How customers actually obtain products may also makes a major difference. Typically, a 10 km car trip to buy a book pollutes the environment more than the book itself. Many electronic devices are not used to their full extent as they are too frequently replaced by newer versions or simply not used at all, causing unnecessary environmental burdens.

More studies are needed to gain a more thorough understanding of the environmental impact related to the handling of e-waste and the long-term consequences of new media and ICT solutions. Data gaps and uncertainties, specifically regarding toxicological impacts, need to be prioritised in future research.

Read Assessment of media and communication from a sustainability perspective (Åsa Moberg)!

25 maj
Konferens: Digital närservice i glesbygd
Inbjudan och program

26 maj
Seminarium: Bredbandskokboken – för er som inte blir serverade
Info

27 maj
Seminarium: Riksnätet för Kultur Utbildning och Samhällstjänster
Info

Moberg, Åsa

Title

Assessment of media and communication from a sustainability perspective

Published in

PhD dissertation
Environmental Strategies Research – fms, Department of Urban Planning and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 2010.
TRITA-SoM 2010-05
ISSN 1653-6126
ISRN KTH/SoM/10-05/SE
ISBN 978-97-7415-636-2

Abstract

This thesis aims to assess potential environmental impacts of media and communication and to contribute to the development of methods for sustainability assessment. Although the main focus is on printed and electronic media products and environmental impacts, a broader sector analysis is also included and social aspects are discussed. The thesis provides a review of different environmental assessment tools in order to better understand their relationships and the appropriateness of different tools in different situations. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to assess printed and electronic versions of newspapers, books and invoices. Results of the screening LCAs of newspapers and books indicate that when comparing printed and electronic versions there are benefits and drawbacks for both. For news and books read on e-reading devices with energy efficient e-ink screens, the main environmental impacts in the studies stemmed from the production of the device and partly from disposal, with the latter having the potential to reduce some environmental impacts through recycling of materials. However, there are data gaps regarding the production of the e-reading devices, most notably for the e-ink screen and the waste management of obsolete e-reading devices. Existing data on internet energy use are uncertain. The potential impacts from a hypothetical total change from paper invoices to electronic invoices in Sweden were assessed through a screening consequential LCA regarding greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative energy demand. The results indicate that emissions and energy demand could decrease as a result of a change. The screening LCAs performed indicate that users’ practices could substantially influence the environmental impacts. Key factors which can influence results and comparisons of printed and electronic media products are total use of electronic devices, total use of printed media, amount and type of paper, energy use of electronic devices, potential printing of electronic media, electricity mix, and the system boundaries set for the assessments.

To get a wider perspective, a sector study of the ICT sector and media sector concerning global greenhouse gas emissions and operational electricity use was performed. It was estimated that the contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 was roughly 1-2 % for each sector. To assess media and communication products from a sustainability perspective, social aspects should also be covered. The author participated in an international project group on social aspects and LCA, one outcome from which was guidelines for social LCA (S-LCA). In addition to providing guidance for S-LCA, another important role of the guidelines is to facilitate discussions, criticism and proposals for improvement and development of the methodology being developed.

The LCA and sector studies in this thesis are limited to direct and to some extent indirect environmental impacts. Further studies of the environmental impacts of more long-term changes in practices and potential structural changes, as well as potential social impacts, could provide important additional insights. This could increase the possibility of facilitating sustainable practices related to ICT and media.

Download cover essay!

List of papers

Paper I
Finnveden G. and Moberg Å. (2005). Environmental systems
analysis methods – an overview. Journal of Cleaner Production 13:1165-
1173.

Paper II
Moberg Å., Johansson M., Finnveden G. and Jonsson A. (2010).
Printed and tablet e-paper newspaper from an environmental
perspective- a screening life cycle assessment. Environmental Impact
Assessment Review 30:3:177-191.

Paper III
Borggren C., Moberg Å. and Finnveden G. Books from an
environmental perspective – Part 1: Environmental impacts of paper
books sold in traditional and internet bookshops. Submitted to
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

Paper IV
Moberg Å., Borggren C. and Finnveden G. Books from an
environmental perspective – Part 2: e-books as an alternative to
paper books. Submitted to International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

Paper V
Moberg Å., Borggren C., Finnveden G. and Tyskeng S.
Environmental impacts of electronic invoicing. Accepted with
minor revisions by Progress in Industrial Ecology.

Paper VI
Malmodin J, Moberg Å, Lundén D, Finnveden G. and Lövehagen
N. Greenhouse gas emissions and operational electricity use in the
ICT and entertainment & media sectors. Submitted to Journal of
Industrial Ecology.

Paper VII
Benoit C., Norris G.A., Valdivia S., Ciroth A., Moberg Å., Bos U.,
Prakash S., Ugaya C. and Beck T. (2010). The Guidelines for Social
Life Cycle Assessment of products: Just in time! International Journal
of Life Cycle Assessment, Volume 15, Number 2.

Contact asa.moberg@abe.kth.se if you want to order a paper copy of the thesis!

Welcome to Åsa Moberg's presentation and defense on 27 May 2010!

Time and location
27 May 2010, 09.00
KTH, Lindstedtsvägen 26, Stockholm, Room F3

Faculty opponent
Professor emeritus Roland Clift, University of Surrey, UK

Supervisor
Professor Göran Finnveden, KTH

Assistant Supervisor
Doctor Maria Enroth, MSG AB, Sweden

Chairperson
Associate Professor Anna Björklund, KTH

Evaluation committee
Associate Professor Henrikke Baumann, Chalmers
Professor Ulf Lindqvist, VTT, Finland
Associate Professor Susanne Sweet, Stockholm School of Economics

Read abstract or download cover essay!
View the invitation to Åsa Moberg’s defense!

A paper copy of the thesis can be ordered from: asa.moberg@abe.kth.se!

Read more about the  announced PhD positions at CSC.

Read more about the PhD position at the Centre for Sustainable Communications (2. Processes of change). Contact Minna Räsänen if you want to know more about the PhD position and about the Centre for Sustainable Communications.

Application deadline: 17 May 2010

Contact: Minna Räsänen, mira@csc.kth.se, Tel +46 8 790 6453

In Session 2 on Sustainability Models Åsa Moberg gave a review of sustainability assessments of media products. Her recent research to be published in her upcoming dissertation was especially interesting for the audience, and lead to an array of new ideas for future research. When presenting the work done at the Centre for Sustainable Communications, Åsa Moberg received a lot of positive attention and inspiring feedback.

”Målet är att ta fram en världsledande reseplanerare som hjälper folk att resa klimatsmart”, berättar Mattias Höjer, föreståndare på Centre for Sustainable Communications (CESC). Med Trafiken.nu har Sverige redan idag en avancerad tjänst för att planera resor. Tjänsten ger omfattande information om hur man kan ta sig fram med bil, cykel eller kollektivtrafik i Stockholm och andra svenska regioner. Tillsammans med Trafiken.nu vill CESC utveckla tjänsten vidare och ta fram en integrerad reseplanerare som även fungerar i mobilen. Det ska gå att hitta den optimala resan som kombinerar olika trafikslag på bästa möjliga sätt. Realtidsbaserad information om bil, buss, taxi, färdtjänst, lånecykel, vanliga promenader och andra sätt att ta sig fram i stadsmiljö ska leda till att folk väljer klimatsmarta resalternativ.

Projektet tilldelas 9 miljoner kr inom ramen för Vinnovas utlysning Miljöinnovationer och är ett samarbete mellan CESC, Stockholms stad, Regionplanekontoret, Trafiken.nu, Trafikverket, Institutet för Framtidsstudier och Ericsson.

En längre version av artikeln finns på KTH:s hemsida.