This study is part of the 'Environmental Footprint and Material Efficiency Support for Product Policy' project funded by the Directorate-General for Environment (DG Environment) from 2012 until 2016. Material efficiency criteria for products have become increasingly relevant for European Union (EU) policy, as reflected in some of the latest communications in which the European Commission has manifested its willingness in 'moving towards a more circular economy'. In particular, the Commission aims to go beyond its initial objectives and support innovative actions at all stages of the life cycle of products, from the extraction of raw materials, through material and product design, production, distribution and consumption of goods, repair, remanufacturing and re-use schemes, to waste management and recycling (European Commission 2011; European Commission 2015). EU Ecolabel is one of the policy tools available to achieve such objectives, as it allows consumers and suppliers to identify products that pose less pressure to the environment. This study is one of a series of publications that assesses the material efficiency of energy-related products (ErPs). Previous reports in the series have analysed the material efficiency of washing machines, electronic displays, commercial refrigerating appliances, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners and enterprise servers. These products were selected because of their policy relevance at the time, as they were the subject of preparatory and/or technical studies within the scope of the EU's Ecodesign Directive and the EU Ecolabel scheme. In 2014, the Joint Research Centre's Institute for Environment and Sustainability (JRC IES) started the analysis of portable computers and electronic displays in parallel with the technical studies for both product groups for EU Ecolabel. The objective was to provide scientific support to the analysis of potential material efficiency criteria that can help reduce their potential environmental impacts and improve their reuse and recycling. Some of the results of this report have been fed into the two technical reports. The draft criteria for the EU Ecolabel were further adjusted based on feedback from stakeholders. The present report starts with a brief introduction and a description of the goals and objectives of the study. Then, it continues with a literature survey on diverse environmental labelling schemes as the EU Ecolabel, the Blue Angel, the Nordic Swan and The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1860 family standard. Material efficiency criteria proposed in already existing schemes serves as a starting point to analyse, in more detail, the two product groups: portable computers and electronic displays. The study includes first the definition of the product group, a description of the bill of materials, the analysis of the design for repair and dismantling, a description of their End of Life (EoL), a review of environmental criteria specific for each product group, and then an analysis of some relevant environmental aspects.
