Smartphones

Material Composition Assumptions

The default bill of materials for a representative smartphone (approximately 200 g) includes:

• Display assembly: OLED panel, cover glass (Gorilla Glass or equivalent), touch digitizer — approximately 35 g
• Battery: Lithium-ion polymer cell, 4,500 mAh typical — approximately 50 g
• Printed circuit board (PCB): Multi-layer HDI board with integrated circuits (application processor, modem, memory, NAND flash) — approximately 30 g
• Enclosure: Aluminum or stainless steel frame, glass back panel — approximately 50 g
• Camera modules: Image sensors, lens assemblies, OIS actuators — approximately 10 g
• Other: Connectors, speakers, haptic motors, packaging materials — approximately 25 g

Semiconductor content (by mass ~15%) drives a disproportionate share of embodied emissions due to the energy intensity of wafer fabrication, which can exceed 1 kgCO2e per cm2 of die area.

Manufacturing Geography

The default manufacturing region is China, with secondary manufacturing in South Korea (semiconductor fabs) and Vietnam (final assembly for some Samsung devices).

• Grid intensity: 565 gCO2e/kWh (IEA 2024 estimate for China). This is used to calculate Scope 2 emissions from factory electricity.
• Rationale: The majority of smartphone final assembly (Foxconn, Pegatron, Samsung SDI) occurs in mainland China and Vietnam. Semiconductor fabrication (TSMC, Samsung Foundry) is concentrated in Taiwan and South Korea, which have lower grid intensities (~500 and ~450 gCO2e/kWh respectively), but China remains the conservative default for a blended estimate.

Apple reports that its supply chain clean energy program has reduced product emissions by over 20% for iPhone 16 models. This is manufacturer-specific and not reflected in the default conservative score.

Regional Variation

Region	Grid Intensity	Estimated Score Adjustment
EU average	~300 gCO2e/kWh	-45% on Scope 2 (saves ~5 kgCO2e)
USA average	~390 gCO2e/kWh	-30% on Scope 2 (saves ~4 kgCO2e)
South Korea	~450 gCO2e/kWh	-20% on Scope 2 (saves ~2 kgCO2e)
India	~700 gCO2e/kWh	+24% on Scope 2 (adds ~3 kgCO2e)
Nordic (Sweden/Norway)	~30 gCO2e/kWh	-95% on Scope 2 (saves ~11 kgCO2e)

Note: Scope 2 represents only ~16% of the total footprint. Regional variation in grid intensity has a modest effect on the total score because Scope 3 upstream emissions (materials and component manufacturing) dominate.

Provenance Override Guidance

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

1. Product Environmental Report (PER) or Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) certified by an accredited third party (e.g., Carbon Trust, TUV, Bureau Veritas) per ISO 14067 or PAS 2050.
2. Bill of materials with supplier-specific emission factors for key components (semiconductors, display, battery).
3. Factory energy data including renewable energy certificates (RECs) or power purchase agreements (PPAs) for assembly facilities.
4. Transport mode and distance data for finished goods distribution.

Apple’s published PERs, Samsung’s Carbon Trust-certified reports, and Google’s product environmental reports all qualify as valid provenance overrides.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 75 kgCO2e represents a conservative estimate at the upper end of the manufacturer-reported range. Apple reports 56-74 kgCO2e across the iPhone 16 lineup; the iPhone 16 Pro Max is at 74 kgCO2e. Samsung Galaxy S24 series figures are Carbon Trust-certified but exact public figures vary by model.
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 dominates at 83% (62 kgCO2e), consistent with industry consensus that upstream materials and component manufacturing account for 75-85% of smartphone lifecycle emissions. Scope 2 (factory electricity) is 16% (12 kgCO2e). Scope 1 (direct emissions from manufacturing processes such as soldering and cleaning) is minimal at ~1%.
• Functional unit: One smartphone device, cradle-to-grave, assuming a 3-year use phase with average charging patterns.
• Data gaps: Semiconductor fabrication emissions are highly variable depending on process node (e.g., 3 nm vs. 7 nm) and fab location. The estimate uses industry-average values rather than node-specific data.
• Use-phase emissions (charging electricity over device lifetime) are not included in the CCI score, which focuses on embodied/manufacturing carbon. Use-phase adds approximately 5-10 kgCO2e over 3 years depending on grid.
• End-of-life credit: A small credit (~1-2 kgCO2e) for material recovery is excluded from the score to maintain conservatism.