Data and methodological needs to assess uncertainty in the carbon footprint of ICT products

Several pressures have led to unprecedented corporate interest in "carbon footprinting" or life cycle assessment (LCA) of products. These pressures include historically high energy prices, climate change regulation, corporate sustainability efforts, and announcements from several major retailers that environmental data will be required from suppliers. This work discusses the particular challenges relevant to the information technologies (IT) industry's ongoing investigation into the environmental impact of their products. This research helps elucidate the data and methodological challenges in assessing uncertainties in the carbon footprinting of laptop and desktop computers.