Carbon Emissions Embodied in Importation, Transport and Retail of Electronics in the U.S.: A Growing Global Issue

Due to increased international trade over the past decade, the global carbon footprint of the US has been expanding. Electronics are a major driver in this trend, as they are both heavily imported and energy intensive. We estimate that the embodied emissions in electronic goods imported to the US has increased from ~170 Mmt CO₂ in 1997 to ~470 Mmt CO₂ in 2004, primarily driven by increased consumption of computers and peripherals, audio/video equipment, wireless communications equipment, and various components. Two usually ignored portions of the supply chain, international transport and wholesaling/retailing, represent further emissions of 4-10 Mmt CO₂ and ~33 Mmt CO₂ respectively, showing the importance of including them in life cycle inventories of electronics.