The carbon footprint of digital technology: manufacturing vs. use
Reading time: 5 minutes · Sources: ADEME, ADEME-Arcep, Global E-Waste Monitor 2024
The figure that changes everything
80% of a digital device’s carbon footprint is generated during manufacturing. Use—meaning the electricity consumed over the device’s entire lifespan—accounts for barely 20%.
This figure is counterintuitive. We tend to think first about daily use: the screen left on, the charger plugged in, the computer running all day. These uses do have an impact, but it’s minor compared to what happened before the device ever reached your hands.
Understanding this breakdown means understanding where to focus first.
What manufacturing really costs
Producing a laptop emits, on average, between 150 and 250 kg of CO₂ equivalent, depending on the model and methodology used. This footprint is concentrated over just a few months—the length of the manufacturing process—while use generates its share over several years.
Manufacturing draws on raw materials extracted from all corners of the globe, energy-intensive industrial processes, and long supply chains. It consumes water, sometimes in regions already under water stress, and generates emissions at every stage, from mining to final assembly.
This carbon cost is known as “embedded” carbon: it’s permanently locked in the moment the device is manufactured, whether you use it for two years or ten. The only variable you can still influence after purchase is how long you use it.
Why length of use is the main lever
If the manufacturing footprint is fixed, the device’s annual footprint depends directly on how long it’s used.
A laptop with a manufacturing footprint of 200 kg CO₂, used for 4 years, generates 50 kg of CO₂ per year attributable to manufacturing. Used for 8 years, that figure drops to 25 kg of CO₂ per year—a 50% reduction, without changing anything about daily use.
According to ADEME, using a digital device for 4 years instead of 2 reduces its total environmental impact by 50%. This isn’t an estimate: it’s the direct result of spreading the manufacturing footprint over a longer period.
Quebec’s particular case
The footprint linked to use depends on the electricity mix of the region where the device operates. In Central Europe or in several parts of Asia, where electricity production still relies heavily on coal or gas, using a digital device generates significant emissions.
In Quebec, over 99% of electricity is produced from hydro sources, which makes the use-related footprint of digital devices particularly low by international standards. This context further increases the relative weight of manufacturing in the total footprint.
In other words: for a user or organization in Quebec, extending a device’s lifespan matters even more than elsewhere, because use itself is nearly carbon-neutral.
The footprint of the sector as a whole
An individual device’s footprint is part of a much larger sector-wide footprint. Digital technology currently accounts for between 3% and 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure growing by 6% per year.
These emissions come from three sources: end-user devices (phones, computers, screens), networks (telecommunications infrastructure), and data centres. According to the 2022 ADEME-Arcep study, end-user devices are responsible for the majority of the total footprint, and within that category, the manufacturing phase dominates.
Artificial intelligence is amplifying these trends. Generative AI models require specialized chips whose manufacturing is particularly resource-intensive, and training them consumes considerable amounts of energy. ADEME projects that digital technology’s footprint in France could triple between 2020 and 2050 in the absence of structural action.
What this means for an organization
For an organization looking to reduce its digital footprint, the priorities are clear:
Extending the lifespan of equipment is by far the most effective action. Each additional year of use reduces the annual footprint attributable to manufacturing.
Buying refurbished rather than new when replacement is unavoidable. A refurbished device doesn’t require manufacturing new equipment: its manufacturing footprint has already been generated and absorbed by a previous user.
Avoiding over-equipping. Buy devices whose performance matches actual needs, and don’t multiply devices without a genuine functional reason.
