A framework for environmental impact assessment tools: comparison validation and application using case study of electronic products

Abstract

There is growing international pressure on original equipment manufacturers of electronic products to reduce the environmental impact of their products. Hence a conscious effort is being made by them to evaluate the environmental impact of their products and thus identify aspects leading to the environmental burden. This paper presents a recent research aimed to develop an environmental impact evaluation framework for electronic products based on existing environmental assessment (EIA) software systems. A comprehensive evaluation and comparison of select software systems is presented using relevant case studies of standard computer products. The paper also evaluates a framework for extending the environmental evaluation to the end-of-life scenario of these products.