Networking Equipment (Routers, Modems)

Material Composition Assumptions

The default reference product is a consumer Wi-Fi router (Wi-Fi 6 class) weighing approximately 0.6 kg, composed of:

• Printed circuit board: Multi-layer FR-4 PCB (4-6 layers) with surface-mount components including Wi-Fi SoC (Broadcom, Qualcomm, or MediaTek), DRAM (256 MB-1 GB), flash memory (128-256 MB), Ethernet PHY, and power management ICs, approximately 0.08-0.12 kg.
• Plastic housing: ABS or PC/ABS injection-molded enclosure (top and bottom shells), approximately 0.25-0.35 kg.
• Antennas: Internal PCB antennas or external dipole antennas with SMA connectors, approximately 0.02-0.05 kg.
• Heat sinks: Die-cast aluminum or stamped copper heat spreaders, approximately 0.03-0.05 kg.
• Power supply: External AC/DC adapter (12V/1-2A), approximately 0.1-0.15 kg. Includes transformer, rectifier, and capacitors.
• Cables and packaging: Ethernet cable, power cable, cardboard box with foam insert, approximately 0.3-0.4 kg.

Consumer routers are relatively simple electronics products compared to smartphones or laptops, but the semiconductor content (Wi-Fi SoC, memory) still drives a significant portion of embodied emissions due to the high energy intensity of wafer fabrication.

Manufacturing Geography

Consumer networking equipment manufacturing is concentrated in East and Southeast Asia:

• Design: USA (Cisco, Netgear, TP-Link R&D), Taiwan (ASUS, D-Link), China (TP-Link, Huawei).
• Manufacturing: Primarily China (Shenzhen, Dongguan) with some production in Vietnam and Taiwan. ODMs (Original Design Manufacturers) like Foxconn, Pegatron, and Arcadyan produce for most major brands.
• Grid intensity (China): 565 gCO2e/kWh (IEA 2024). Used as conservative default.
• Rationale: PCB assembly (SMT pick-and-place, reflow soldering, wave soldering) and functional testing are the primary factory-level energy consumers. Upstream semiconductor fabrication is performed at foundries in Taiwan and South Korea.

Regional Variation

Manufacturing Region	Grid Intensity	Estimated CCI Score	Adjustment vs Default
China (default)	~565 gCO2e/kWh	20 kgCO2e	Baseline
Taiwan	~510 gCO2e/kWh	19 kgCO2e	-5%
Vietnam	~480 gCO2e/kWh	18.5 kgCO2e	-8%
USA (hypothetical)	~390 gCO2e/kWh	17 kgCO2e	-15%
EU average	~300 gCO2e/kWh	16 kgCO2e	-20%

Note: Scope 3 dominates at 70%, so grid variation affects primarily the 29% Scope 2 component.

Provenance Override Guidance

A supplier or brand may override the default CCI score by submitting:

1. Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) per ISO 14067 covering components through packaged device.
2. Semiconductor sourcing data: Wafer foundry and packaging facility emissions data.
3. Factory energy data: Assembly facility renewable energy procurement (PPAs, RECs/GOs).
4. Product-level LCA: Cisco and some enterprise vendors publish product lifecycle data that can serve as reference for consumer-grade equivalents.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 20 kgCO2e represents a conservative estimate for a consumer Wi-Fi router. Limited published LCA data exists for this specific category. Cisco reports 15-50 kgCO2e for various router classes; consumer models sit at the lower end. The score uses EPA USEEIO sector intensity as a cross-check.
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 dominates at 70% (14.0 kgCO2e), driven by semiconductor IC production, PCB materials, and plastic/metal component manufacturing. Scope 2 is 29% (5.7 kgCO2e) from SMT assembly, testing, and factory electricity. Scope 1 is 1% (0.3 kgCO2e).
• Confidence: Low because consumer networking equipment has very limited published peer-reviewed LCA literature. The estimate relies on USEEIO sector data, Cisco corporate reports, and analogies to similar electronics products.
• Functional unit: One consumer Wi-Fi router (~0.6 kg), cradle to gate through packaged product.
• Use-phase: Excluded but significant. A router consuming 10-15W continuously over 5 years contributes approximately 200-400 kgCO2e in use-phase emissions — far exceeding production-phase emissions. This makes networking equipment one of the product categories where use-phase dominates lifecycle emissions.
• Enterprise equipment: Enterprise routers and switches are significantly heavier (5-30 kg) and more semiconductor-intensive, with production emissions of 100-500+ kgCO2e. This score covers consumer-grade devices only.