Audit-Ready Carbon Reporting for Hardware Companies
Track manufacturing supply chain emissions, component carbon footprints, product use-phase energy, and device lifecycle for hardware operations.
The Industry Hotspot: Manufacturing Supply Chains and Use-Phase Energy
Manufacturing and use-phase both materialHardware lifecycle emissions split between manufacturing and use-phase. Manufacturing supply chains in Asia produce components and assemble devices. Semiconductors, displays, batteries dominate component footprint. Use-phase electricity consumption over years of operation adds substantial emissions. Laptops, desktops, and tablets consume power during customer use. Product design affects both manufacturing materials and operational efficiency. NetNada aggregates contract manufacturer emissions, tracks component carbon data, models use-phase energy consumption, and reports product lifecycle footprints.
SASB Industry Definition
The Hardware industry designs and sells computers, smartphones, tablets, peripherals, and consumer electronics. Companies coordinate global manufacturing supply chains, R&D operations, and retail distribution. Most emissions are Scope 3 from manufacturing operations and product use-phase electricity consumption over device lifetimes.
Industry-Specific Carbon Accounting
No generic solutions. Metrics, data sources, and reporting aligned to Hardware operations.
Manufacturing Supply Chain Emissions
Contract manufacturers assemble devices from globally-sourced components. Final assembly consumes energy but component production dominates manufacturing footprint. Track manufacturing emissions by supplier and product. Engage suppliers on carbon data and renewable energy. Calculate manufacturing emissions per device sold.
Component Carbon Footprints
Semiconductors, displays, batteries, and other components have embodied manufacturing emissions. Component mix determines product manufacturing footprint. Collect supplier carbon data by component category. Apply factors where primary data unavailable. Report component footprint by device type.
Product Use-Phase Energy Modeling
Devices consume electricity during customer use over multi-year lifetimes. Power consumption varies by product category and usage patterns. Model use-phase energy using product specifications and typical utilization. Calculate lifetime electricity consumption. Report use-phase emissions per device.
Product Lightweighting and Efficiency
Reducing device size and improving power efficiency lowers both manufacturing and use-phase emissions. Smaller devices use less material. Efficient processors consume less electricity. Track product weight and power consumption trends. Calculate emission benefits from efficiency improvements. Report lifecycle impact of product design changes.
Device Recycling and Material Recovery
End-of-life devices contain valuable materials including metals, glass, and plastics. Recycling recovers materials avoiding virgin production emissions. Track device collection through take-back programs. Monitor material recovery rates by component. Calculate avoided emissions from recycling versus disposal.
SASB TC-HW Metrics Automation
Auto-generate disclosure including product lifecycle emissions, energy consumption of sold products, percentage of supplier facilities using renewable energy, product recycling rates, and conflict minerals compliance. Footnotes cite product portfolio and supplier base.
Product Features for Hardware
Use Carbon Data Uploader to import supplier emissions data, component carbon footprints, product specifications, and sales volumes for hardware lifecycle emissions. Learn more →
The Activity Calculator applies factors for manufacturing, components, use-phase electricity, and transport—calculating device lifecycle carbon footprints. Learn more →
Hardware Case Studies
How entities in this industry use NetNada to solve carbon accounting challenges.
Challenge
Corporate customers required product carbon footprints for IT procurement decisions. Manufacturing supply chain emissions needed aggregation across multiple contract manufacturers. Use-phase energy consumption represented substantial lifecycle component requiring modeling.
Solution
Collected manufacturing emissions data from contract manufacturers by product line. Engaged component suppliers obtaining carbon data for key parts. Modeled use-phase electricity consumption using product power specifications and typical usage patterns. Generated lifecycle carbon footprints by device model.
Result
Published product lifecycle assessments showing manufacturing and use-phase as major contributors. Demonstrated efficiency improvements in new generation reducing both manufacturing materials and operational power consumption. Provided corporate customers with procurement data supporting sustainability goals.
SASB Disclosure Topics for Hardware
Material sustainability topics beyond emissions that investors and stakeholders expect disclosed per SASB standards.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
environmentTrack Scope 1 from corporate facilities. Report Scope 2 from offices and retail. Calculate Scope 3 from manufacturing, components, distribution, use-phase, and end-of-life. Report emissions per revenue or per device sold.
Product Lifecycle Carbon Footprints
environmentReport lifecycle emissions by product category including manufacturing, transport, use-phase, and end-of-life. Track carbon footprint trends across product generations. Disclose methodology and assumptions.
Product Energy Efficiency
business modelMonitor device power consumption and battery life. Report Energy Star or equivalent certifications. Track efficiency improvements across generations.
Supply Chain Management
socialTrack supplier carbon data coverage and performance. Monitor conflict minerals compliance. Disclose supplier clean energy requirements and audits.
Product Take-Back and Recycling
business modelReport device collection volumes and material recovery rates. Track refurbishment and resale programs. Disclose design for recyclability initiatives.
Renewable Energy
environmentMonitor corporate renewable energy procurement. Track supplier renewable energy adoption. Report percentage of manufacturing from renewable-powered facilities.
NetNada tracks all SASB material topics, not just emissions. Our platform supports disclosure across environmental, social, governance, and business model topics relevant to your industry.
Hardware FAQs
Common questions about carbon accounting for this industry
Track Hardware Manufacturing, Use-Phase, and Lifecycle Emissions
See how hardware companies aggregate supply chain data, model product energy consumption, and generate SASB-aligned disclosures—automated from supplier and product data.