Carbon footprint of an air purifier: manufacturing, use, filters - the figures
An air purifier operates continuously, often for years. What is rarely examined is the total amount of CO2 emissions it generates from manufacturing to end-of-life disposal. Yet the answer depends entirely on two variables: the technology (with or without disposable filters) and the place of manufacture. Data calculated component by component using ADEME databases now makes it possible to move beyond rough estimates.
Why calculate the carbon footprint of an air purifier?
A household appliance has two distinct carbon footprints: its manufacturing phase, which generates a one-time and permanent emission, and its use phase, which emits CO2 every year through electricity consumption. The challenge is that these two factors are not comparable from one technology to another: an air purifier with a HEPA filter consumes more electricity to compensate for the pressure drop caused by a clogged filter and requires one or two filter replacements per year. A filter-free air purifier operates at stable power and without consumables. To make a meaningful comparison, both factors must therefore be modeled over the entire lifespan of the product.
The methodology: ADEME databases, component by component
TEQOYA has developed its own carbon footprint calculation model based on ADEME's public databases (Base Carbone and Base Impacts). The methodology breaks down four stages: resource acquisition, manufacturing processes, component transportation, and final assembly. Each component is weighed, its geographical origin is modeled, and its CO2 equivalent is calculated using the corresponding emission factors. This deliberately scalable model makes it possible to update calculations with each new product version without requiring a full life cycle assessment.
90 %
Share of the carbon footprint of a TEQOYA 200 ionizer attributable to resource acquisition (raw materials and electronic components), calculated using the ADEME methodology.
Source: TEQOYA, internal calculation, ADEME Base Carbone data, 2022
The Carbon Footprint of TEQOYA Ionizers: Measured Results
The three most common models in the range were assessed. Results are expressed in kgCO2eq (CO2 equivalent, a unit defined by the IPCC to compare the impact of different greenhouse gases).
| Model | Manufacturing Footprint (kgCO2eq) | Use in France: 1 Year (kgCO2eq) | Manufacturing Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEQOYA Nomad | 5.5 | < 0.5 | Production of 1 T-shirt |
| TEQOYA 200 | 16 | 0.66 | Production of 3 T-shirts |
| TEQOYA 450 | 23.4 | 0.66 | Production of 4 T-shirts |
Usage assumption: operation 24/7, 90% of the time, French electricity mix 2022. Source: TEQOYA, internal calculation based on ADEME data.
Resource acquisition, materials, and components account for between 76% and 90% of the total footprint depending on the model. The main contributor is electronic components, which are difficult to source in France with a low carbon footprint. Internal transportation represents no more than 5% of the total: all TEQOYA factories are located in France and the Spanish Basque Country, less than 500 km from the assembly plant in Villandraut (Gironde, France).
How Manufacturing Location Changes the Results
The location of manufacturing is the single most influential factor in the carbon footprint. If TEQOYA factories were located in China, the manufacturing footprint would be 14 times higher. The plastic injection molding facility in Angers operates using nuclear energy, reducing its emissions by a factor of 9 compared with the average French electricity mix, and by a factor of 128 compared with the Chinese electricity mix.
TEQOYA product packaging is manufactured just 100 meters from the assembly plant. The packaging transport footprint is therefore negligible.
Comparison with a HEPA Air Purifier: The Impact of 10 Years of Use
A standard HEPA air purifier consumes between 30 and 80 W depending on the fan speed used (median value: 50 W). It also requires filter replacement once or twice per year.
| Category | TEQOYA 200 (Ionizer) | Typical HEPA Air Purifier (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 16 kgCO2eq | 40–80 kgCO2eq (if manufactured outside the EU) |
| Use in France: 1 Year | 0.66 kgCO2eq | ~16–20 kgCO2eq (50 W, 24/7, 90% operation) |
| Filters: 1 Year | 0 | ~1–2 filters/year (synthetic materials) |
| Estimated Total over 10 Years | ~22 kgCO2eq | ~200–260 kgCO2eq |
| 10-Year Ratio | Baseline 1 | ≈ 10 times higher |
The difference comes mainly from electricity consumption: a TEQOYA ionizer uses approximately 2 to 3 W in continuous operation, compared with 30 to 80 W for a HEPA purifier. In France, where the electricity mix is relatively low in carbon emissions, this translates into a difference of around 15 to 19 kgCO2eq per year per device.
An air purifier is made to remove pollutants from the air. At issue is the impacts of air purifiers on the environment. Do they necessarily reduce air pollution? Are we sure that air purifiers do not pollute more while trying to take pollution out of the air? This is a thorny question and TEQOYA provide some answers.
At first, to measure the environmental footprint of a product, one has to do its Life Cycle Analysis:
One can see on this figure that a lot of elements influence the environmental footprint of a product.
On the one hand, the liftetime of a product: the longer it is, the more its environnmental footprint during other stages of the life cycle - exploitation, raw materials, fabrication, transportation - is spread over time. In other words, it is better to choose an air purifier designed for durability than to choose a classic product.
On the other hand, energy consumption: it is obvious, but the less energy the device uses, the more its ecological footprint is reduced. Regarding air purification, it is important to choose an energy-saving device because it has to withstand daily use. If we are not careful, an air purifier may also emit more pollutants into the atmosphere than those it removes, as you can see in our calculation below! Of course, CO2 and particulates released into the atmosphere by a power plant are not directly breathed by people. But they contribute to global warming and the emission of secondary pollutants, such as ozone.
Does an air purifier with filters remove more particles in the house than it emits into the atmosphere?
- To begin, let us not forget that France is an exception in terms of power generation park.
Many countries use a lot of coal-fired power plants:- China (80%)
- India (68%)
- But also the USA and Germany.
Yet, a coal-fired plant emit between 0,3 g and ... 130 g of particles for each kilowatt hour that it produces. This difference is due to the age of the installation but depends also on to the presence or absence of pollution capture systems.
Unfortunately, the latter are scarce and expensive, and they required significant maintenance.
Coal and oil: these two primary energies, still widely used to produce electricity, are important sources of CO2 and particulate matter.
- It is difficult to determine an average because the situation varies between countries, but one considers that the particulate pollutant emissions (PM10 and PM2.5, mostly) usually exceed 1 g and can even reach 100 g for 1 kilowatt hour produced.
- How many particles does an air purifier with HEPA filter eliminate when it consumes 1 kWh?
- Let's take the best equipment using this technology, released in 2015, from the most reputable brand on the market.
- This unit will treat approximately 7 m3 of air per Wh consumed. Thus, for an "average" particle pollution of 50 µg per m3, 0.35 g of particles are elminated per kWh.
And this efficiency goes down as the filter gets clogged, as the device will require more energy to treat the same volume of air!
One understands that the "particle balance" is negative: even an efficient air purifier with HEPA filter eliminates, at best, the same quantity of particles as those it requires, at worst, 500 times less particles!
At least, the consumables: when one uses an air purifier with filters, it is strongly recommended to replace regularly (every six months) one or several filters. These filters have their own life cycle, consuming raw materials and energy from the beginning (manufacture) to the end (end of life and valorisation).
TEQOYA air purifiers are effective in cleansing air by eliminating particles through a natural process, and are also eco-friendly by minimizing their environmental footprint:
- 10-year warrantly: TEQOYA air ionizers are designed to withstand daily use so one can rely on them for a long time.
- Very low energy consumption (2W) which allows to display a ratio "particles suppressed / kWh consumed" 5 to 10 times higher than that of a filter device!
- Whithout consumable, to make you life easier, and above all to respect the environment.
FAQ: carbon footprint of air purifiers
How to calculate the carbon footprint of an air purifier?
The recommended method breaks down four phases: resource acquisition, manufacturing processes, transport of components and usage. ADEME publishes emission factors for each of these phases in its Carbon Database.
Is a filterless air purifier more environmentally friendly?
The absence of a disposable filter removes a recurring consumption item (materials, manufacturing, transport and waste). The impact is twofold: no consumables to replace and lower electricity consumption thanks to the absence of pressure drop linked to filters.
What is the electricity consumption of a TEQOYA ionizer?
TEQOYA ionizers consume between 1.5 and 3 W depending on the model. Over a year of continuous operation in France, this represents about 0.66 kgCO2eq of emissions according to ADEME 2022 emission factors.
Why does French manufacturing reduce the carbon footprint?
The French electricity mix emits about 52 gCO2/kWh (ADEME 2022), compared to about 540 gCO2/kWh for the Chinese mix. For any energy-intensive process, manufacturing in France thus reduces manufacturing emissions by a factor of 9 to 10 compared to production carried out in China.
Conclusion
The carbon footprint of an air purifier is not a marketing claim: it is a measurable reality, component by component, using ADEME’s tools. The results show that the choice of technology (filterless systems) and manufacturing location (France, a low-carbon electricity mix) matters far more than the simple “eco-friendly” label printed on packaging. As regulations on environmental labeling become more precise, this data will become a decision-making criterion in its own right when purchasing.
Sources
- TEQOYA, “What is the carbon footprint of TEQOYA air ionizers?”, internal calculation based on data from ADEME Base Carbone and Base Impacts, 2022.
- ADEME, Carbon Database, emission data for materials and processes, bilans-ges.ademe.fr, accessed in 2022.
- ADEME, Base Impacts, base-impacts.ademe.fr, accessed in 2022.
- IPCC, Fifth Assessment Report, 2014. Definition of CO2 equivalent.
- Law No. 2020-105 of 10 February 2020 on combating waste and promoting a circular economy (AGEC law), Article 16.
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