6.2.4 End-user viewing devices

The ‘Environment, climate change and circular economy’ working group from The International Telecommunications Union, a specialised body from the United Nations, has identified standardisation requirements for the sustainable use and deployment of ICTs and developing international standards. Formulated as the ‘ITU-T Recommendations on methodologies and guidelines that assess the environmental impacts of different ICT applications’. These recommendations cover specific ICT related functions, products and services, including, for example: ICT supporting equipment and facilities, installation activities (such as on radio sites), and networks and other services. Additionally, a framework adopted by ITU and its member states is the Connect 2030 Agenda. The purpose of the agenda is to shape the future of the ICT sector by working towards four distinct goals; Growth, Inclusiveness, Sustainability, Innovation and Partnership. Also, the same working group has developed a set of international standards (ITU-T Recommendations) that assess the environmental impacts of 5G systems including the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) aspects, the electromagnetic fields (EMF) aspects, energy efficiency in 5G systems and their resistibility to lightning and power fault events (ITU, 2019).

6.2.4 End-user viewing devices

As discussed in the Results section, the end-user devices account for the greatest portion of emission in video streaming footprint. Reduction strategies lay within energy efficiency of the end-user devices (Malmodin & Lundén, 2018a), and through changes in screen display technologies that have the possibility to enable substantial reductions in power consumption.

To help EU consumers cut their energy bills and carbon footprint, a new version of the widely-recognised EU energy label was introduced in all shops and online retailers from Monday, 1 March 2021. The new labels will initially apply to four product categories; fridges and freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, and television sets and other external monitors. New labels for light bulbs and lamps with fixed light sources will follow on 1 September 2021, and other products will follow in the coming years. In the USA, the Energy Star program has existed since 1992, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), early on it set minimum standards of energy efficiency for computers and servers, and has over time been extended to a wide range of products. Regulations related to standby mode power settings have been established for many years, for example EU regulation No 642/2009, and IEC 801/2013.

In France, as part of the digital strategy in early 2021, the Ecological Transition Minister Barbara Pompili and the Secretary of State for Digital, Cédric O, presented concrete plans to bring environmental and digital issues together. The plans are outlined under three main pillars: ‘develop knowledge of the digital environmental footprint’; ‘support a more sober digital environment’; and ‘make digital technology a lever for the ecological and solidarity transition’. Thereby also directly addressing the consumer in their digital behaviour. Similar to the German strategy there is a part on addressing the consumer and the fact that they must be empowered and educated to commit to an environmentally conscious use of digital technologies.

Regarding the reuse or recycling of the device itself, the European Union is examining the benefits of ‘take-back’ schemes for devices. Supporting a take-back scheme should incentivise consumers to return devices that are no longer needed, with the hope of higher levels of recycling. Also, the ‘right to repair’ is on the agenda and is receiving more public attention. The ‘right to repair’ can apply to all consumer goods, but especially introduced to reduce e-waste. In February 2021 the European Parliament voted in favour of the ‘right to repair’, as part of the Circular Economy Action Plan. Legislation is currently not in place yet, but it sends a strong signal on tackling embodied emissions and e-waste.