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Products: Carbon Footprint
We are assessing the climate change impacts of our products across their entire lifecycles — from materials extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use and end-of-life.
Carbon footprinting helps us to understand the most effective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated with our products. It also enables us to respond to the increasing number of data requests from customers trying to understand the impacts of their supply chain.
Below are the results of our comparative lifecycle assessments (LCAs) for key products.
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The majority of the lifecycle impacts of the mobile phone (88 percent) and charger (84 percent) used in this study occur during manufacturing. We are looking for ways to reduce emissions from manufacturing, for example by using less energy-intensive materials such as recycled plastic in our products. During the use phase of a mobile phone, a considerable amount of energy can be wasted when the charger is left on standby (plugged in, but not in use). Since 2000, we have reduced the average standby power of our chargers by at least 70 percent.
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Ninety-two percent of the lifecycle emissions of the set-top analyzed in this study occur when the device is used. Set-tops must often be continuously on or on standby to receive data updates. We are working to reduce the energy consumption of our set-tops when on and in standby mode. Some of our set-tops can be completely shut down using an off switch.
Estimating scope 3 emissions
In 2010, we used the results of our lifecycle assessments to estimate our total scope 3 emissions. This category includes emissions relating to: manufacturing of Motorola Mobility products; product transport; and use of our products.
We estimate that our scope 3 emissions were 12,598,329 tonnes of CO2 in 2010. The majority of emissions occur doing the use of our products. To address these impacts, we are focusing on improving energy efficiency and also raising consumer awareness through charger unplug messages.
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Background on our lifecycle assessments
The above analysis focuses on the lifecycle impact of typical Motorola products from 2008 and 2009. In the calculations, we assume the following use times:
Mobile phone - 2 years
Mobile phone charger - 2 years
Set-top - 7 years
For the transportation phase, both inbound and outbound logistics are included. The assessments do not include the impact of accessories, packaging and user guides, and exclude the impacts of the end-of-life phase. Available data for recycling and disposal vary widely and we are analyzing the current research to determine the most accurate assumptions.
We use a third-party laboratory to complete LCAs of our products that follow the ISO 14040 and PAS 2050 LCA standards. The assessments were calculated using data collected from our manufacturing facilities, along with secondary data estimated using a third-party software tool.
Results of LCAs are dependent on the calculation method, scoping and assumptions used. The mobile industry does not yet have commonly agreed assessment criteria, which means it is not possible to compare LCAs conducted by different organizations.