The demand to provide production-relation environmental performance data, such as the carbon footprint of individual electronic components, represents a huge challenge for component manufacturers in view of the wide variety of capacitors, resistors, inductors, SAW filters, ferrites, plugs and connectors existing with different designs and specific values. Catalogues of component distributors are as thick as telephone books. This alone shows why it seems nigh on impossible to conduct carbon accounting for all these components.

Consequently, Fraunhofer IZM, well-known component manufacturers and the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI) have joined forces and developed a methods paper in order to simplify and harmonise the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions in the production of passive components. The approach is comparable to the one used in the specification of material compositions, which is long established in the industry as the norm and which was also originally introduced as Umbrella Specifications with the involvement of the ZVEI. The methods paper provides manufacturers with a practical guide on how to internally collect the relevant material and energy consumption data for each component type. This allows the calculation of upstream emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases which contribute to the greenhouse effect in a comprehensible manner. "Since passive components play a comparatively minor role in the life cycle assessment of a smartphone, machine control system or medical device, the effort invested in collecting data should also be kept within reasonable limits,” says Karsten Schischke, Group Manager at Fraunhofer IZM: "This is now possible thanks to the jointly developed methodology – and all without having to make any concessions when it comes to compatibility with other relevant life cycle assessment standards". The methodology, which is now well-established, is based on the pilot project analyses of the production of components and plugs at the companies Weidmüller Interface, Phoenix Contact, Vishay Electronic, EPCOS, Murata Elektronik and Kemet Electronics.

The methods paper “Methodology Guidance – Energy Profiles and Carbon Footprint Data for Passive Components and Connectors”, which was published in April 2015 was developed in the "LCA to go" project as part of the 7th Framework Research Programme and funded by the European Union.

The methods paper can be found at the following link: http://publica.fraunhofer.de/documents/N-334976.html

Contact:

Karsten Schischke

+ 49 30 46403-156
karsten.schischke@izm.fraunhofer.de