• The information boom
• What is the best means for sending a message?
• Reducing hazardous waste - Digital photos
• The information revolution: Internet
• Resource consumption of domestic appliances
• Stand-by consumption
• How long does a goods live? 

The information boom 

The current production of unique information is estimated to be 1 - 2 exabytes (1018 B)/year i.e. 250 MB per person.

The information produced by individuals (so-called “individual information”) is over 2,600 times larger than published information.

The dominance of digital: The information storage on paper and films is almost not growing; whereas optical (CDs and DVDs) and magnetic supports are doubling each year.

• 610 billion e-mails sent by year (10% of world population has access to e-mail this makes an average 1,016 e-mail per year per person)
• 2.1 billion static web pages per year
• time spent per year on Internet by US households increased by 126% over 8 years (1992-2000) from 2 hours to 43 hours (as much as time spent on video games) still very small compared to TV and radio (over 1,500 hours and 1,000 respectively)

Source: UC Berkeley’s School of Information Management and Systems 

A LCA study classified different means to send a message 50 km away in the Netherlands according to the energy consumption.

• The telephone, grounded or mobile, is the best option.
• Hand-written mail and e-mail are almost equivalent.
• Even if the e-mail is printed, the energy consumption remains smaller than if the letter is typed, printed and then sent by postal mail.

• The worst options are faxes, both hand-written and typed.

Source:  Brezet et al.

Traditional photographic processes involve the use of a great number of chemicals harmful to the environment and to health. It also generates harmful waste (colour developing baths, fixing baths and bleach fixing baths). All photographic processing may consume some 20 million m2 of developed film and paper.

Digital photography can strongly reduce the use of materials and chemicals and the production of waste:

• no need for a printing plate;
• printing machines require minimal cleaning.;
• intermediary stages (such as mounting, manual proofs, etc.) are disappearing;
• needs for storage – consuming paper and space – are strongly reduced.

At present, digital photography technology is increasingly used in radiology departments and in the graphics industry (in Sweden). Amateur digital photography is also rapidly growing.

Source: Case studies of the Information Society and Sustainable Development

Resource consumption of domestic appliances

• energy: ¾ of domestic appliances’ total lifetime energy consumption occurs during use, especially cold appliances (refrigerators and freezers) = 17 TWh/year in 1994 in the UK;
• 25% of all electricity used in the UK is used for domestic appliances and lightings;
• water: large amount is used by wet appliances (washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers).

Source: UNEP Industry and Environment, January–June 1997

 Stand-by consumption 

In the UK in 1994, stand-by consumption was estimated around 5.109 kWh/year. This is equivalent to 1 large power station.

In German private households, in 1995:

• the largest standby electricity consumption – 40% - was due to television and video, while  water heater and audio represented 17% each.
• Stand-by consumption is estimated to be 14 billion kWh/year. This is equivalent to Berlin’s entire yearly electricity requirements. This represents the emission of 14 million tons CO2/year (climate change)
• The electricity costs of stand-by losses for a household equipped with an average amount of appliances amounts to  130 DM/year (about 65 Euros/year)
• In a more generously furnished household, with e.g. computer, printer, satellite dish etc., these costs are easily doubled.

Source: German Federal Minister of the environment

In the 1960s, PCs were used for about 10 years. Now a PC lifetime is 3 to 5 years (4,3 years) and for the most innovative products, less than 2 years. 

Source: Umweltverträgliche Produktgestaltung

The life span of a mobile phone can be up to 7 years. But, on average, people in the UK change their mobile every eighteen months.

Source: Digital Europe