Greenhouse gas abatement via repurposing computers

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to generate findings to support the reduction of computer supply chain greenhouse gas emissions. This is achieved by answering the question, ‘can greenhouse gas abatement be delivered by alternative computer operating system displacement strategies?’ We hypothesised that extending the useful lifespan of end user computing devices to 8 years by repurposing a device with a new operating system can reduce scope 3 supply chain emissions, which account for 73% of an end user computing device's carbon footprint. To test the hypothesis, we measure the carbon footprint reduction delivered by repurposing 3,150 obsolete desktop computers, which were installed with a Linux based operating system to become thin clients and support a remote working solution for a major financial institution during the recent Covid-19 pandemic. We calculate scope 3 supply chain emissions avoided by not purchasing new thin client solutions. Legacy device power consumption is also measured and extrapolated to represent the one-year period of use and compared with that of new devices to calculate the excess scope 2 emissions of the former. We find that while new devices reduce scope 2 emissions, this gain is outweighed by the reductions in scope 3 emissions from not replacing the legacy devices. Furthermore, we find that the new Linux based operating system reduces energy consumption by 22% compared with Microsoft Windows. We also calculate the financial gains from the repurposing strategy to test the perception that sustainable information technology adoption is costly. Finally, the impact of remote working on commuting emissions is estimated. In conclusion, the findings show that repurposing end user computing devices contributes meaningfully to sustainability strategies from both an environmental and financial perspective.