Title: Sparse principal component analysis based sustainability assessment of EOL ICT service infrastructures

Authors: Bingbing Li; Hongchao Zhang; Derrick Tate; Li Ding; Lei Zhang

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA. ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA. ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA. ' School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China

Abstract: Sustainable Design and Manufacturing (SDM) is becoming a more effective approach to solve sustainable (environmental, social and economic) problems. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) positively made business more efficient and less polluting, while negatively contributes to environmental impacts by releasing of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) and producing e-wastes. This paper will develop a quantitative method of sustainability assessment in all three dimensions based on Sparse Principal Component Analysis (SPCA). A prototype model of Sustainability Performance Assessment Tool (SPAT) that can be integrated with existing systems and software to aid in product and process decision making is developed and discussed in detail in this paper. A DSL modem is taken as a case study to demonstrate the sustainability assessment and prototype model.

Keywords: sustainability assessment; sparse PCA; principal component analysis; ICT service infrastructures; prototype models; sustainable design; sustainable manufacturing; sustainable development; information technology; communications.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2011.043516

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2011 Vol.14 No.5/6, pp.435 - 451

Received: 30 Oct 2010
Accepted: 16 Aug 2011
Published online: 29 Jan 2015 *

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