1. ITU Workshop on Green ICT Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
16 July 2013
ITU-T Recommendations on methodologies to assess the environmental impact of ICT Training session Ahmed Zeddam, Chairman of Study Group 5 «ICT, Environment and Climate Change» Jean-Manuel Canet, Rapporteur, Question on methodologies 1 1

2. Agenda Introduction : Question on methodologies
Recommendation L.1400 : General principles
Recommendation L.1410 : ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Recommendation L.1420 : ICT in organisations
Recommendation L.1430 : ICT projects
Recommendation L. ICT in cities
Conclusions

3. Question on methodologies
3 Recommendations published:
L.1400 : Overview and general principles
Available :
L.1410 Environmental impact of ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Available :
L.1420 Environmental impact of ICT in organisations
Available :
3 Recommendations under preparation :
L.1430 Environmental impact of ICT projects (publication expected in 2013)
L.1440 Environmental impact of ICT in cities (consent expected in 2014)
L.1450 Environmental impact of ICT in countries (consent expected in 2014)
Question on methodologies

4. Question on methodologies
ITU, the United Nations agency for ICT
193 Member States, more than 700 Sectorial Members and more than 40 Academic Members
Cooperation on methodologies include :
Question on methodologies

5. Agenda Introduction : Question on methodologies
Recommendation L.1400 : General principles
Recommendation L.1410 : ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Recommendation L.1420 : ICT in organisations
Recommendation L.1430 : ICT projects
Recommendation L.ICT in cities
Conclusions

6. L.1400 Overview and general principles
Recommendation L.1400
It presents general principles and an overview of the different methodologies being developed
General principles :
Assessment of environmental impacts should be performed on a full life-cycle perspective for goods, networks and services
Boundaries should be selected, quoted, documented and made available for verification
Quantification methodologies should be selected, quoted, documented and made available for verification
Reliable data should be researched. Used data should be quoted, documented and made available for verification
Bias and uncertainties should be documented and reduced as far as it is practicable
It should be noted that results of assessments may vary significantly depending upon the selection of boundaries, the quantification methodologies selected and data used
L.1400 Overview and general principles

7. Agenda Introduction : Question on methodologies
Recommendation L.1400 : General principles
Recommendation L.1410 : ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Recommendation L.1420 : ICT in organisations
Recommendation L.1430 : ICT projects
Recommendation L.ICT in cities
Conclusions

8. L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services
L.1410 : What is it ?
It is a Recommendation that complements ISO and ISO and provides guidance on how to assess environmental impacts of ICT Goods, Networks and Services
It has been built with a large number of representatives from the ICT sector and governments. It has been built to be consistent with EC/JRC, ETSI, IEC and GHG Protocol ICT supplement initiatives
It focuses on energy consumption and GHG emissions
More than 100 contributions and inputs were received and taken into account.
There are 2 Parts in the Recommendation:
Part I : ICT Lifecycle assessment: framework and guidance
Part II : Comparative analysis between ICT and baseline scenario : framework and guidance
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

9. L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services
L.1410 : What is it for ?
The 2 Parts describe clear steps to follow in order to assess environmental impacts over the entire life cycle
L.1410 aims to help :
identify what are the major activities and life cycle stages impacting the environment,
design and prepare action plans,
prioritize actions
In the context of a rising cost of energy and introduction of carbon taxes, L.1410 aims to help :
save costs
retain customers in the future
develop new opportunities
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

10. Benefits of an LCA approach
To provide an assessment of the environmental impact of a product system as a basis for improving it
To understand the relative importance of different life cycle stages /activities - where to put best efforts for improvement
To monitor performance improvements over time
RAW MATERIAL ACQUISITION
PRODUCTION
USE
END OF LIFE
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

11. Data availability and data quality
ICT LCA Challenges
Complexity
Hardware, software, networks and services
Rapidly changing product specifications, and service offerings
Multitude of components and subcomponents
Long, complex and dynamically changing supply chains that span the globe
Multitude of suppliers
Second-order and third-order effects
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Data availability and data quality

12. L.1410 Part I: What are the steps to follow?
General requirements
Goal and scope definition
Life Cycle Inventory
Functional unit definition
Data collection
Data calculation
System boundaries definition
Allocation procedure
Life Cycle impact assessment
Cut-off rules
Data quality requirements
Life cycle interpretation
Reporting
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

13. L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services
L.1410 Part I
Functional unit definitions, ICT goods
The following functional unit should be used:
• Annual ICT goods use (per one year of ICT good use) or
• Total ICT good use per lifetime of ICT good
For ICT goods, additional more specific functional units may also be considered when the result is presented, e.g. the time during which one uses a phone and the number of s sent.
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

14. L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services
L.1410 Part I
Functional unit definitions, ICT networks
ICT networks can be seen as a system composed of different types of ICT goods. The following functional unit should be applied for ICT networks used during at least one year:
• Annual Network use
Additionally, other more specific functional units may be applied as well, based on the scope and purpose of the LCA, for instance: annual network use per phone line, per amount of users, or per transmitted data, or per coverage area (if applicable).
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

15. L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services
L.1410 Part I
Functional unit definitions, ICT services
The following functional unit should be applied:
• Annual service use.
Corresponding realistic use scenarios shall be defined.
Additionally, other more specific functional units may be applied as well, based on the scope and purpose of the LCA, e.g. per one hour or per Gigabit.
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

16. L.1410 Part I Reporting : example
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

17. L.1410 Part II : What are the steps to follow ?
General requirements
Data quality requirements
Goal and scope definition
Life Cycle Inventory
Functional unit in the case of comparison
Life Cycle impact assessment
Life cycle interpretation
System boundaries definition
Reporting
Cut-off rules
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services
N.b. For Part II which is a comparative analysis between an ICT system and a reference product system the above steps need to be carried out on BOTH the ICT system and the reference product system

18. L. 1410 Part II : key principles
There are two target systems for comparative analysis
Comparison between a reference product system and an ICT service e.g. travelling to a face to face meeting (flight, train, car, hotel stays) versus the use of a Video conferencing service
Comparison between two ICT goods or two ICT networks or two ICT services
e.g. an upgraded data centre compared to an old one
Key principles :
Systems must be compared using the same functional unit and equivalent methodological considerations, such as system boundary, data quality, allocation procedures and cut off rules (if applied)
In a comparative analysis what one is seeking to capture is the difference between the two systems rather than the magnitude of both
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services

19. L. 1410 Part II, example of reporting
L.1410 ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Example of comparative evaluation between ICT and reference product system with categories of life cycle stages.

20. Agenda Introduction : Question on methodologies
Recommendation L.1400 : General principles
Recommendation L.1410 : ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Recommendation L.1420 : ICT in organisations
Recommendation L.1430: ICT projects
Recommendation L.ICT in cities
Conclusions

21. What is L.1420 ? What is it for ?
It is a Recommendation providing guidance on how to assess environmental impacts of ICT in organizations.
It has been built with a large number of representatives from the ICT sector and governments. It deals with energy consumption and GHG emissions.
It is in line with widely used international voluntary measuring and reporting schemes.
It complements ISO and the GHG Protocol.
This Recommendation covers:
The assessment of the life cycle environmental impact of ICT Goods, Networks and Services used by an organization (“Non-ICT organizations”)
The assessment of the environmental impact of an ICT organization (“ICT organizations”)
The reporting of these impacts to ensure fair and transparent communications
L.1420 ICT in organisations

22. Scope
The assessment of the environmental impact of an ICT organization.
An ICT organization is an organization, the core activity of which is directly related to the design, production, promotion, sales or maintenance of ICT goods, networks or services.
The assessment of the life cycle environmental impact of ICT Goods, Networks and Services used by an non-ICT organization .
Other organizations
The interpretation of these impacts and their fair and transparent reporting
Documentation is required
This Recommendation does not address GHG removals or rebound effects
GHG removals for ICTs is not the highest priority
Rebound effects are still under study
L.1420 ICT in organisations

23. Scope The Recommendation covers the 3 scopes:
Scope 1 (Direct emissions): Activities owned or controlled by your organization that release emissions straight into the atmosphere.
Examples of scope 1 emissions include emissions from combustion in owned or controlled boilers, furnaces, vehicles.
Scope 2 (Energy indirect): Emissions being released into the atmosphere associated with your consumption of purchased electricity, heat, steam and cooling.
These are indirect emissions that are a consequence of your organisation’s activities but which occur at sources you do not own or control.
Scope 3 (Other indirect): Emissions that are a consequence of your actions, which occur at sources which you do not own or control and which are not classed as scope 2 emissions.
Examples of scope 3 emissions are business travel by means not owned or controlled by your organization, waste disposal, or purchased materials or fuels.
Assessment and reporting for scope 1 and scope 2 emissions are mandatory.
Assessment and reporting for scope 3 emissions are optional
L.1420 ICT in organisations

24. Principles Relevance Completeness Consistency Accuracy
Select GHG sources, data and methods appropriate to the assessment of the GHG emissions of ICT activities and organizations.
Completeness
Include all specified GHG emissions that provide a material contribution to the assessment of GHG emissions arising from products.
Consistency
Enable meaningful comparisons in GHG-related information.
Accuracy
Reduce bias and uncertainties as far as practicable.
Transparency
The organization shall disclose the information sufficiently to allow a third party to make decisions with confidence.
L.1420 ICT in organisations

25. L-1420 for ICT organizations
Setting the Organizational boundary
Setting the Operational boundary
Selection of quantification methodology
Annual assessment/Establishment of a base year
Recalculation of energy and GHG inventory (restatements)
Uncertainties
Reporting
L.1420 ICT in organisations

26. L.1420 for Non-ICT organizations
Evaluation of energy consumption and GHG impact
Setting the Organizational boundary
Setting the Operational boundary
Selection of quantification methodology
Annual assessment/Establishment of a base year
Recalculation of energy and GHG inventory (restatements)
Uncertainties
Reporting
L.1420 ICT in organisations

27. Agenda Introduction : Question on methodologies
Recommendation L.1400 : General principles
Recommendation L.1410 : ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Recommendation L.1420 : ICT in organisations
Recommendation L.1430 : ICT projects
Recommendation L.ICT in cities
Conclusions

28. L.1430, consented
This Recommendation will specify principles, requirements and methods in order to quantify, monitor and report GHG emission reductions, energy consumption savings, energy efficiency improvements resulting from ICT projects, in complement to ISO and GHG Protocol.
It is built with a large number of representatives from the ICT sector and governments and in relationship with the UNFCCC.
It is expected that L.1430 will provide requirements and guidance for :
planning an ICT project and its baseline scenario;
identifying and selecting GHG sources, sinks and storages relevant to the ICT project and baseline scenario;
identifying and selecting energy consumption sources, generators and storages relevant to the ICT project and baseline scenario;
managing data quality;
monitoring, quantifying, documenting and reporting ICT project performance; and
validating and/or verifying the ICT project plan or report.
L.1430 ICT projects

29. Agenda Introduction : Question on methodologies
Recommendation L.1400 : General principles
Recommendation L.1410 : ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Recommendation L.1420 : ICT in organisations
Recommendation L.1430 : ICT projects
Recommendation L.ICT in cities
Conclusions

30. L.ICT in cities (to become L.1440), under preparation
This Recommendation will present general principles on how to evaluate the environmental impact of Information communication technologies (ICT) in cities, or other urban areas with a focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
It is built with a large number of representatives from the ICT sector and governments and in relationship with UNEP and UN-HABITAT.
It is expected that L.1440 will cover the following aspects :
aggregation of impacts at cities level of ICT organizations
Impacts of ICT projects in cities, for instance in the construction sector, the energy sector, the transport sector
It is expected that L.1440 will in particular cover how to assess the impacts of the use of ICT in cities to reduce the GHG emissions of other sectors
L.1440 ICT in cities

31. Agenda Introduction : Question on methodologies
Recommendation L.1400 : General principles
Recommendation L.1410 : ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Recommendation L.1420 : ICT in organisations
Recommendation L.ICT projects
Recommendation L.ICT in cities
Conclusions

32. Conclusions Recommendation ITU-T L.1400 provides general principles
Recommendation ITU-T L.1410 complements ISO and ISO for Life Cycle Analysis of ICT Goods, Networks and Services
Recommendation ITU-T L.1420 complements ISO and GHG Protocol for the assessment of the impact of organisations from the ICT sector and the impact of ICT in all organisations
L.1410 and L.1420 have been achieved through a very significant effort of the ICT sector. They have been tested in the frame of the European Commission ICT pilots
L.1410 and L.1420 are currently being revised to take into account the results from the European ICT pilots and other feedbacks
Your suggestions of improvement are welcome !
Recommendation ITU-T L.1430 has been consented
Recommendation L.ICT in cities is under development
Yours suggestions and contributions are welcome. The next meeting to discuss contributions will take place in Lima, Peru, from December 2 to 13, 2013

33. Thanks for your attention !