We ditch plastic shopping bags, switch to Energy-saving light bulbs… but what about our smartphones? Our digital devices are often one area that we forget about when we focus on staying eco.
This is where Sustainable Electronics fit in. Or, at least, it’s where they should.
In this article, learn about the environmental impact of manufacturing sustainable (and unsustainable) electronics through 10 interesting facts.
First, What are Sustainable Electronics?
Put simply, sustainable electronics are electronic devices (e.g. your smartphone, tablet, e-reader, and similar digital devices) that are made with sustainable practices and materials.
That means:
- No toxic chemicals in the product or produced as by-products,
- All parts are recyclable or reusable (and bonus points if they are made from repurposed materials),
- Carbon emissions are kept as low as possible during production.
Climate protection, ecology, and fair labour are important too, but they don’t necessarily fall under ‘sustainability’.
And the problem is, there’s no one set guideline for companies to follow when it comes to sustainability.
So, how sustainable are your electronics?
Check out these 10 facts about sustainability in the electronics industry to find out where the world is currently at.
1 – There’s no such thing as a sustainable smartphone
Wait, what?
It’s sad but unfortunately true. In 2017, Greenpeace created a Guide to Greener Electronics which ranked world-leading consumer electronics companies for sustainability. They gave the top 17 companies a grade from F to A.
Not a single company scored an A (not even the Fairphone).
The report did find that some companies are making an effort, however. Fairphone scored a respectable B for example!
While there’s currently no A+ scoring smartphone company in the world, this report does show that moving towards sustainable practices is possible while still producing highly popular, innovative and modern devices.
Apple scored a B-.
2 – More transparency is needed
When Greenpeace interviewed consumer electronic companies, they found that very few provided details about their energy consumption and the impact of their suppliers.
That’s why there’s no list of the most sustainable smartphones.
From suppliers mining precious metals and sourcing components, to the factories where the smartphones are put together… calculating the total impact an electronic device has on the world is hard to calculate when companies aren’t transparent.
As a result, it’s difficult to make informed choices when you’re looking for an eco-friendly phone!
3 – Emissions during production are extraordinary
70% to 80% of the total carbon footprint of an electronic device (from it’s entire life cycle) is created from the manufacturing process.
So, even if you use your smartphone responsibly to reduce energy consumption and recycle the parts when it breaks, you’ll have a minimal impact on overall emissions.
It’s the electronic manufacturers that need to do their bit too!
4 – Chinese smartphone brands are typically less sustainable…
In 2021, Chinese smartphone brands like Huawei and Xiaomi are typically lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to sustainability, just like they were in Greenpeace’s 2017 report.
For example, Huawei’s 2020 sustainability report lists these achievements:
- Reduced non-essential packaging material by 87%, by reducing the number of pages in their paper manuals… except other brands, like Apple, saw common sense and ditched paper manuals altogether.
- Repurposed 500,000 phones since 2015 through a trade-in program, making it 100,000 phones repurposed per year… except Huawei sold 240 million phones in 2019. So, only 0.041% of Huawei phones were traded and repurposed.
Are these really achievements?
It’s a good idea to compare sustainability practices between phone manufacturers, so you can see who is genuinely going above and beyond to make a difference.
5 – … and Amazon is not much better!
Amazon’s sustainability page for electronic devices focuses more on reducing packaging waste, instead of addressing the elephant in the room.
Their branded electronic devices use a lot of power!
Sure, they have eliminated 27 million plastic bags in 2020 alone, but the devices themselves aren’t exactly sustainable to make. The e-readers use thin glass screens, but the majority of the electronic devices, like the Echo, are mostly plastic.
And then there is the Amazon goal to “continue building new renewable energy projects until we account for the energy consumption of all Amazon devices.” But surely it would be better to reduce the energy the devices use in the first place?
Amazon seems intent on trying to balance out the damage their business is making, rather than reducing the damage itself.
It’s all a little backwards!
6 – Digital devices are designed to become defunct
There’s an age-old rumour on the internet that our electronics are designed to purposefully break after so many years, so you’ll have to buy the newer model.
That’s not strictly true.
In fact, newer phone models are always trying to improve their durability. We’re seeing an increase in reinforced glass screens and aluminium frames to replace plastic – they’re more durable, recyclable, and feel higher quality too.
But on the other hand… our devices aren’t designed to be repaired. If the battery blows in your iPhone, can you easily buy a new one and swap it?
We build phones to be thrown away when they break, rather than repaired. This has been coined as “planned obsolescence” and it’s a huge issue for sustainability.
7 – Raw materials preferred over sustainable ematerials and recycled materials
Many electronic devices rely on precious metals and elements that are hard to source.
There has been a drop in use of the particularly hazardous materials, e.g. PVC is banned by most major smartphone brands now and several electronic brands including Huawei have switched to non-toxic plant-based inks for their packaging.
But even seemingly harmless materials have an impact.
As Fairphone have explored, 75% of the world’s gold supply is mined and it’s incredibly hard to trace back to its source. Excess pollution and even child labour could be used to mine the gold that goes into your smartphone.
It would take decades to recycle enough gold instead of mining for use in smartphones.
8 – The recycling process that doesn’t happen, but…
According to the Greenpeace report:
Less than 16% of global e-waste volumes are estimated to be recycled in the formal sector, despite the valuable materials contained within. Often “recycled” e-waste ends up at informal recyclers and handled in ways that endanger worker health and the local environment.
However, there is a silver lining here.
According to another report from Trends, e-waste management is a $16B industry with a 9% growing rate YoY.
In short, companies start to see the potential in the e-waste industry. And there is much space for entrepreneurs to join the industry, as around 80% of the electronic waste still goes unclaimed each year.
9 – Apple is committed to 100% renewable power
Back in 2017, Apple was the only big brand to focus on 100% renewable power for their manufacturing process. We’re happy to report, however, that other brands are jumping on this too.
Samsung’s 2020 Sustainability Report put the company’s renewable energy usage at 92% in the US, China and Europe. This is especially impressive as Samsung’s total energy consumption increased x14 from 2017.
10 – The global consumption of electronics will double by 2050
We are currently on an unsustainable path that will see electronics consumption double by 2050, according to VTT.
The amounts of energy it will use to fuel our love for electronics alone will be monumental!
And even if we do meet carbon-neutral goals and use renewable energy sources, that doesn’t negate the waste we create.
What the world needs from sustainable electronics
It all sounds a bit too ‘doom and gloom’ so far, with the only obvious solution being to ditch electronics altogether.
But let’s be realistic – smartphones aren’t going anywhere.
So, what should we do about it?
Pressure electronics companies
Reducing our own waste and energy consumption only goes so far.
If we want to make a big impact and push sustainable electronics further, it’s the big manufacturers that need to change too.
Showing your support for green initiatives, signing petitions, questioning and pressuring companies where you can, is a good start.
Spend wisely
Sustainability goals aside, a smartphone company is still ruled by one thing – their profits.
So where you put your money really matters.
Do a little research and buy the smartphone that will be best for sustainability.
In general, this means ditching Apple phones for Android models that are more easily repaired. It also sometimes means choosing top-of-the-range models that use glass and more durable materials than the cheap, plastic budget-range phones.
Check out Fairphone too, as they score extremely well for sustainability all round.
Or buy refurbished
There are plenty of refurbished and used electronic gadgets about. Ebay, Amazon or BackMarket are good places to find refurb tech (but not new tech, as we learned from fact 5)!
Back Market, for example, is an expert in refurbished electronics. You can find some gems there, even for the latest models! (And anyway, if you go for an older model and anyone asks why, just let them know that it’s limited edition or vintage.
You’ll be keeping phone parts out of the landfill and you’ll probably save some cash too.
Protect, Repair, Reuse, Recycle
Make sure you follow this order.
The best way to keep your electronics safe? Don’t drop’em!
But more seriously, protect your smartphone or whatever device you handle on a regular basis. We know… it makes your pretty iPhone bulky, but it sure looks better than a broken screen!
Then if still manage to break it, repair it where you can. Take it to a phone repair store, send it back to the manufacturer, or head to YouTube to find a DIY guide.
If it cannot be repaired, can any parts be reused? For example, if the hardware is just unrepairable, could you carefully extract the glass screen and sell it as a spare part?
Finally, recycle your phone. You have no excuse not to recycle! If you pop your old phone in an envelope, there are plenty of companies that will pay you for posting them your old handsets.
Management of waste
We don’t just mean the plastic waste from packaging. Energy waste is a big concern – so manage your e-waste!
Things like:
- Dimming the screen slightly,
- Turning off-unused features (like 5G),
- Switching from vibrate to silent or a quiet alarm sound,
- Use the battery-saving mode,
- Turning the screen off, instead of letting it automatically switch off after 5 minutes.
These small changes can help your smartphone battery last longer, thus requiring less charging and saving energy waste.
General energy efficiency tips
Besides your smartphone, there are other electronics in your home that can reduce energy waste with just a few little tweaks.
Computers and laptops – you’ll use less energy by turning it off when it’s not in use! Even though powering up your computer takes a higher burst of energy, it’s still less than if you left it on while you went to the shops, for example.
Unplug when it’s not being used – devices will continue to draw power even when they’re turned off or the battery is full. So, unplug them at the socket to stop your charges drawing up more electricity.
Use a sleep mode – set your devices to go to sleep when they’ve not been used in 10 minutes. Sleep mode is a much more energy-efficient mode than screen savers!
Check out power strips – these are like extension cords, but with a dedicated switch so you can turn off all the plugs at once, or individual plugs. This is an easier way of shutting off the power without unplugging everything at the source.
Buy a power meter – these nifty devices measure how much power is being used at any time, so you can see which of your unsustainable electronic devices are sucking up energy when they shouldn’t be!
So, if you want to reduce your impact on the world with your electronics, you know what to do!
Reduce consumption, save energy, and make smart choices.
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