Screening life cycle assessment of a laptop used in Poland

In recent years, laptops have become very commonly used, causing a significant environmental impact. In Poland about 2 million portable computers are sold every year. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool which evaluates environmental impacts associated with a product throughout its life. In this paper, a screening life cycle assessment for a personal computer - Actina laptop, assembled, used and disposed in Poland was performed. Values for eleven impact categories were provided with the application of the Eco-indicator 99 method, expressing the significance of the burden on the environment. For the whole life cycle, the most significant stage is the use phase, due to electricity consumption (over 60% of all environmental impacts) followed by the manufacturing of the product with over 37% of the share.