Samsung Colour E‑Paper – CO₂ Comparison Calculator

Samsung Colour E‑Paper — CO₂ Comparison Calculator

Lifecycle CO₂e comparison of Samsung Colour E‑Paper against printed signage and always‑on LCD/LED displays, over a configurable horizon. The honest driver is how often the message changes: a printed sign must be re‑printed on every change, while e‑paper and powered displays carry a fixed embodied cost and update at near‑zero energy. All constants are editable and traceable to the sources listed below.

Scenario

Number of displays / sites

Assessment horizon (years)

Content refresh frequency (how often the message changes = one reprint for print media)

Samsung E‑Paper — embodied + use, kg CO₂e / unit

Product

Embodied (mfg+dist+EoL) – kg/unit

Use phase over horizon – kg/unit

Printed signage — kg CO₂e per A2 print

Paper poster – recycled

Paper poster – virgin

Cardboard – recycled

PVC banner

Polyester fabric

Reprints per refresh

Paper & cardboard anchored to the research's explicit A2 lifecycle table (0.041 / 0.054 / 0.063 kg). PVC & fabric derived from per‑kg intensity × A2 substrate mass. Acrylic/aluminium boards are permanent media (not reprinted) and are excluded from the reprint comparison.

Powered displays — operation kg CO₂e / unit

LCD power (W)

LED power (W)

On hours / day

Grid factor (kg CO₂e/kWh)

add ~250 kg embodied

Operation = power × hours × 365 × years × grid factor. Embodied/EoL of LCD/LED excluded unless ticked (rough 32″ panel estimate) — leaving it off is conservative (favours the powered display).

Versus printed signage — content reprinted on every change

Print medium	Per unit (kg CO₂e)	Fleet total (kg)	E‑Paper comparison	Break‑even cadence*

*Refresh frequency at which e‑paper and that print medium tie. Faster than this → e‑paper wins; slower → print wins.

Versus always‑on powered displays — operation only unless embodied added

Display	Per unit (kg CO₂e)	Fleet total (kg)	E‑Paper comparison

Reference — E‑Paper baseline

Item	Value