Sustainable impact of JCertified refurbished products
The environmental impact of JC-Electronics products has been determined using the LCA method (life cycle assessment). The calculations were carried out by LCA specialists from Ecoras, using designated databases. These results were then reviewed and validated by an independent party, Hedgehog Company, which also specializes in conducting LCA analyses.
Research method: component analysis per product category
For each type of product, a representative item was fully disassembled. All components were weighed using a scientific scale to accurately determine the raw materials present. Based on this, the environmental impact savings were calculated when a product is refurbished instead of newly manufactured. Data regarding transportation to and from JC-Electronics and the environmental impact of packaging were also included in the analysis.
Due to the size and diversity of the product range, categorization was made based on weight and distribution of the total number of items. The following classification was applied:
|
Category |
Small |
Medium |
Large |
Extra Large |
|
HMIs |
0–2 kg |
2–5 kg |
>5 kg |
– |
|
PLCs |
0–0,5 kg |
0,5–2 kg |
>2 kg |
– |
|
Drives |
0–4 kg |
4–12 kg |
12–45 kg |
>45 kg |
Eight impact categories
The environmental impact was calculated based on eight international impact categories:
1. Climate change
Shows the contribution to climate change over a period of 100 years. The impact is expressed in kilograms of CO₂ equivalents. This includes CO₂ as well as other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O).
2. Freshwater ecotoxicity
Indicates the impact on freshwater organisms due to exposure to toxic substances. The result is displayed in comparative toxic units for ecosystems (CTUe) and estimates the number of affected species per emission.
3. Particulate matter
Describes the potential health impact of particulate matter emissions. The smaller the particles, the more harmful they tend to be. The indicator measures the change in mortality due to particulate matter emissions, expressed per kilogram of emitted particulate matter (PM).
4. Human toxicity, cancer
Shows the impact of carcinogenic substances in air, water and soil. Expressed in comparative toxic units for humans (CTUh), where the figure represents the expected increase in mortality per unit mass of the chemical particle.
5. Human toxicity, non-cancer
Measures the impact of toxic substances that do not cause cancer but can still lead to mortality. This category is also expressed in CTUh and shows the potential mortality increase in the population per unit mass of the chemical particle.
6. Fossil resource use
Shows the degree of depletion of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. Since these resources are finite, all current extraction is seen as a limitation for future generations. The impact is expressed in megajoules (MJ).
7. Metal and mineral resource use
Measures the depletion of metals and minerals. The calculation is similar to that for fossil fuels and is also expressed in megajoules (MJ).
8. Water use
Shows the extraction of water from rivers, lakes and groundwater. As water is a scarce resource, this category is relevant for measuring pressure on water supplies. The unit is cubic meters (m³).
Comparison: refurbished versus new
The absolute values of the impact categories are difficult to interpret without a comparison. Therefore, all eight impact categories were calculated for both refurbished products and newly manufactured items from the original manufacturers. The comparison below shows the difference in impact across all categories for an average HMI.
The comparison shows that refurbishment not only results in lower CO₂ emissions but also significant savings in raw material use and ecotoxicity. For refurbished products, almost no new raw materials need to be extracted; only a few components are replaced. This significantly reduces the strain on raw material resources.