Energy and eMergy assessment of the production and operation of a personal computer

Production of electronic devices (e.g., the day-by-day increasing number of computers and cell phones) requires energy as well as large and diverse amounts of materials, among which rare and strategic minerals. The extraction of such non-renewable resources is already a source of concern due to their limited availability and environmental impact. Identifying energy and materials costs over the entire production chain is, therefore, a priority in order to be able to suggest improvements that lead to optimizing resource use. On the other hand, the large and increasing numbers of these devices worldwide create additional concern about their end-of-life disposal, in order to prevent pollution of air, water and soil due to their degradation and leakage, if not properly managed. The end-of-life management of Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has been the subject of heated debate over the past years. Their environmental impacts are so huge that they must be considered hazardous waste and must be regulated by a dedicated and specific legislation at international, European and national levels. Impacts may be decreased if WEEE are looked at a mine of valuable materials that, if properly exploited, can be re-introduced into the production chains with considerable economic and environmental advantages (and less extraction from mines).