Archived Newsroom • Communiqué |
|
ITU and ETSI align environmental impact methodology
Standard gives industry a uniform way to measure climate impact
Geneva, 28 May 2014 – A standardized way to assess the
direct environmental impact of ICT goods, networks and services, as well as
their indirect impact on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of non-ICT industry
sectors, has been agreed by ITU and the European Telecommunication
Standardization Institute (ETSI).
The jointly developed specification has been created in acknowledgement of
the importance of providing industry with tools to provide a lifecycle
assessment of the environmental impact of its activities. The collaboration was,
in part, driven by a need to avoid a proliferation of methodologies which would
cause confusion to the industry.
It is widely acknowledged that ICTs have an environmental impact at every
lifecycle stage. But ICTs can also enable vast efficiencies through the
provision of digital solutions that can cut energy consumption and improve
inventory management and business processes by, for example, reducing travel
and transportation.
Dr Hamadoun I.Touré, Secretary-General, ITU: “Policymakers have demanded a
standard, and this is exactly what’s needed to ensure that the assessment and
reporting of environmental impacts becomes the norm across the ICT industry.
Cooperation between standards bodies is a key factor in ensuring an efficient,
coordinated approach.”
Beniamino Gorini, Chairman of ETSI TC-EE: “The Methodology for Environmental
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of ICT goods, networks and services, known as ITU-T
L.1410 in ITU-T and ES 203 199 in ETSI, has achieved first-stage approval in the
two organizations. It is the result of an efficient collaboration between ITU-T
Study Group 5 (Environment and climate change) and the ETSI Technical Committee
on Environmental Engineering (ETSI TC EE).”
Paolo Gemma, Chairman of Working Party 3 of ITU-T Study Group 5: “This new
standard is just one of the various standards planned to be developed in joint
activities by the two organizations in the next two to three years. Effective
and coordinated action from standards bodies will provide the business community
with more clarity regarding available standards and specifications under
development.”
The new standard is a technically aligned text of previously approved
standards from both organizations. It will provide a better understanding of the
overall impact of ICTs, granting manufacturers and service providers a reliable
tool to assess and reduce their environmental impact.
A significant improvement to the new text is clearer examples of how the
methodology should be applied, a feature that was added following feedback from
the European Commission trial of the various methodologies, including ITU-T
Recommendation L.1410 and former ETSI TS 103 199.
For more information, please
contact:
Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
|
Toby Johnson
Senior Communication Officer, ITU
|
About ITU...