Our PCs, our planet

Technology marches on, but at what cost to the environment?

The digital world has many benefits but, let’s face it, it’s not the greenest of worlds.

As our everyday gadgets go digital – PCs, monitors, personal video recorders (PVRs), chargers and printers – we are increasingly leaving them on standby, ready to bounce back on instantly.

It’s more than a decade since equipment first started sporting the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star logo.

Awareness of pollution and ecological issues is much higher than it used to be, and two recent pieces of legislation – the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and the Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives – mean that manufacturers and suppliers must pay more than just lip service to the environmental aspects of their products.

But just how does the typical PC affect our planet?

Facts and figures
In a way, PCs aren’t that much different from cars. When people talk about the environmental aspects, they concentrate on day-to-day use – how much fuel is consumed, or pollution caused, and so on.

And, of course, we could all cut our carbon emissions by switching to a new electric or hybrid model and scrapping our old cars.

But things aren’t as simple as that. It takes a lot of energy to scrap an old car, and to build a new one, and the same is true of PCs.

You could buy the greenest PC imaginable and switch it off at the wall every day. But most of the damage has been done already in its construction and shipping. That’s not to underestimate the need to switch it off, of course.

According to the Government’s recent energy review, eight per cent of domestic electricity consumption is incurred by devices in standby mode.

In fact, according to a study made a couple of years ago by the United Nations University, the amount of energy used in making a typical desktop computer is equivalent to burning 260kg of fossil fuels. Over the typical life of a PC, that means 80 per cent of all the energy used will have been during manufacturing.

But fear not, you can make a difference by extending your PC’s lifespan and ensuring that when you no longer need it, it reaches someone who can do something with it, saving them, too, from having to buy new equipment.

Unfortunately, all that is easier said than done. The requirements of each new generation of software are increasing, needing ever more powerful machines. And they are being churned out at faster and faster rates to meet the needs of not just ourselves, but of fast-growing and modernising economies, such as China and India.

The amount of energy consumed in making a new PC isn’t the only reason to avoid scrapping your existing one. The components that make up your PC, while safe enough as long as they’re sitting under your desk, can cause real problems when you come to dispose of them.

So, what’s a typical PC made of? Why is it a problem? And what can you do about it? And, more to the point, what is anyone doing about it?

What’s in the box?
Starting on the outside, many computers and other pieces of electrical equipment are treated with flame retardants, using a class of chemical called brominated flame retardants. Obviously, you don’t want your computer catching fire and these chemicals, used in boards and plastic cases, help stop that.

But, according to research, they don’t break down easily in the environment, and long-term human exposure can cause memory or learning problems, and interfere with the thyroid gland.

Some metal casings, meanwhile, use hexavalent chromium to harden them, a compound that can be very toxic, and that is released by burning.

Your monitor, whether flat-panel TFT or traditional CRT, is also a cause for concern. CRTs contain lead, which is well known for its longer term effects on the body. Flat-panel displays often use mercury in the backlight illumination.

Inside the PC, you’ll find cadmium in Cmos batteries, which can affect kidneys and bones, more flame retardants in the circuit boards, and beryllium, which is found mostly in older motherboards. When motherboards are destroyed, beryllium dust can be released, which can affect the lungs.

Most visible inside your computer you will find lots of PVC, a material we often take for granted. When it is burned, however, poisonous substances can be released.

Disposal
While there may be some pretty awful things inside your PC, they are not going to kill you. The chemicals and compounds that make up your computer are stable. However, problems arise when they are not disposed of properly.

There are two solutions to this: the first is not to include them in the first place.

The EU’s RoHS (restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment) directive, which came into force this year, restricts the amount of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and brominated flame retardants that can be used in a wide range of products, including computer gear.

For some reason, though, it doesn’t cover guidelines on batteries.

The second solution is to make sure that waste is disposed of properly. The WEEE directive imposes requirements on manufacturers to take back equipment and ensure it is recycled in an appropriate way.

So far, so good, you might think. There will be less of the nasty stuff in the future, and our existing stuff can be disposed of safely.

In theory, households should be able to return used equipment free of charge, so it can be recycled. Sadly, though, while the directive was supposed to be law by August 2004, many member states – including the UK – have been a little tardy in its implementation.

Try calling a UK PC supplier and explain that you have an old computer of theirs you no longer need, and you will almost certainly discover that they won’t offer to take it back to recycle it.

If you’re a business customer, you may have better luck. Some firms, such as Hewlett-Packard, have recycling services available, although these are often contingent upon you buying replacement equipment from the company.

It’s not all bad news on the recycling front. A growing number of firms are offering to recyle or re-use old computers.

They will either dispose of them safely, or ensure that they reach someone who can make use of them. This is often, as we explained earlier, a better option and goes towards extending the life of equipment as much as possible.

Where does it all go?
With EU directives on waste and toxic chemicals still waiting to be fully implemented, what happens to your PC when it is thrown away?

A study in 2003 estimated that more than 130,000 tons of IT or telecoms equipment was exported from the UK alone.

Meanwhile, a Swiss study of the amount of electrical waste generated in the UK per year places the figure at more than 900,000 tons, although that includes domestic appliances as well as computer equipment.

A key concern for many people is what happens when waste is exported. A report in 2002 by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and the Basel Action Network, Exporting harm: the high-tech trashing of Asia , reported on how computer equipment is shipped overseas, primarily to countries such as India and China, where it is recycled in less than ideal conditions.

For example, bundles of wire are often burned to destroy the PVC insulation to retrieve the copper cores, a process that can release toxic fumes. Circuit boards are burned or placed in acid baths to extract metals, a process often carried out in the open air, exposing workers to fumes and other contaminants.

Worse still, photographic evidence exists showing young children at work in scrap yards, being exposed to substances that can have a damaging effect if absorbed into the body at a young age.

It is not, then, sufficient to simply pass on your PC to someone who says they will dispose of it for you: you must ensure it is done in a responsible way that will not expose workers to more hazards, or pollute the environment.

When you buy a new one, it’s worth investigating which companies have committed to removing toxic substances from their systems. You might think they should all be doing so with EU directives mandating it, but some are certainly lagging behind.

RoHS compliance is a self-certification process, with no watertight guarantees of compliance. According to the environmental group Greenpeace, some companies are even going back on previous promises to remove problem substances.

What can you do?
At the moment, companies can carry out recycling policies much more easily than individuals. But you can make choices that will help; for example, putting off buying a new PC until it is necessary.

In many cases, a memory upgrade or a new graphics card may give your existing system the extra oomph it needs to keep going a bit longer.

And when it is finally time to buy a new system, find out about recycling options or schemes in your area that will take your old computer and pass it on to organisations that may need it. Most local authority tips have a drop-off point for electrical and electronic equipment.

It’s also worth considering the environmental record of the company from which you’re thinking about buying a PC, as some are more committed than others to safe recycling and disposal.

Don’t be afraid to ask if they intend to comply with the EU directives and what other environmental policies and procedures they have in place.

Green credentials
Faced with a market of 300 million Europeans, and a directive that restricts the substances that can be used in products, as well as mandating recycling, you might think that major companies would have everything in place to comply. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Neither Dell nor Hewlett-Packard, for example, have arrangements for consumers to return old computers to them. Both have, though, set goals for eliminating banned substances from their products, and HP is committed to working with others in the industry on finding new solutions.

According to Greenpeace, the best companies – which include Nokia and Sony – are promising to remove additional harmful substances, not just the ones identified by laws around the world. Others, though, are doing the bare minimum to comply with rules such as RoHS.

Greenpeace says one example is Lenovo, the Chinese company that has taken over IBM’s PC business, which is worrying given China’s poor record on pollution. When it comes to not having any system in place for returning old computers, Dell and HP are not alone.

We spoke with representatives from several other manufacturers that are still working to have something in place by the time the UK is officially compliant – a date that has been pushed back again from June of this year, following another round of consultation.

Evesham, for example, told us it is working with an industry group that is also providing WEEE services and facilities to the British Retail Consortium, but the final details are still unclear.

Sustain or collapse
Recycling, energy consumption and the elimination of hazardous substances are only one aspect of the bigger issue of the sustainable use of natural resources.

As explained by Jared Diamond in his recent book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive , the problems we face boil down to either ending our profligate exploitation of the planet’s resources – whether renewable or non-renewable – or perishing as a civilisation, and perhaps even as a species.

For example, take two metals used widely in PCs – copper and aluminium. Both metals are non-renewable, finite resources, yet they are both eminently recyclable without loss of quality.

It is estimated that 80 per cent of the copper ever mined is still in use.

But unlike wood and paper products, consumers have no easy way of knowing how much of a PC’s raw materials come from recycled sources, and thus are in no position to vote with their wallets, which is the most effective way of forcing the issue: DIY superstores selling non-sustainable timber products found this out over the past few years.

Perhaps it is time for us to start asking manufacturers exactly what we are buying so that we can do so with a clearer conscience. Kelvyn Taylor

Resources
Computer Aid International
Charity that accepts donations and gives computers to developing countries

Donate a PC
Site that allows donors to list kit they have available for good causes

Greenpeace
Details of Greenpeace’s campaign about high-tech waste

IT & Environment Initiative
Research and publications about IT and the environment

WEEE Recycling Directory
Searchable directory of recyclers

Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling (ICER)
List of WEEE recyclers and accredited UK recycling/refurbishing companies