How can electronic products be more sustainable?

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Few questions we asked ourselves:

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How is the electronics industry moving towards a more sustainable model ? How can designers make electronic products more sustainable? Which is the best method of recycling e-waste? What are two ways you can help to reduce e-waste? How can electronics be more environmentally friendly?

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Many electronic products brands have taken up the challenge to move towards a more sustainable production model. Some brands have expressed their new objectives and by consequence, have made multiple commitments to their consumers, or have developed innovative solutions to reduce their environmental impact. While some other brands are looking towards the future in preparation for the uprising paradigm shift in the electronics industry. Most would agree that, regardless of the initiatives taken by different electronics brands, we are all witnessing palpable changes in electronics conception and manufacturing, which promise to revolutionize the industry.

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I ) New commitments to bring sustainability into electronic products

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These initiatives often start with a declaration of commitment and protection to the environment; this is usually shared with the public or stakeholders during an important marketing or sales event, or at the launch of a new product. 

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For example, during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022, Korean giant Samsung announced its intention to integrate the notion of sustainability into all its electronic products on a daily basis. The company had then taken a wide variety of measures to reduce its environmental impact across the boards. (read VentureBeat article).These measures include an increased percentage of recycled materials in the manufacturing of new products, a total overhaul of packaging, and repealing the use of polystyrene foam and plastics, to name only a few. In fact, according to Samsung's vice president, these small changes are making a big difference to the group's carbon footprint on a global level.. Samsung has also introduced several high-tech products to help protect the environment such as the Solar Cell Remote Controls and also launched the Galaxy for the Planet platform to promote sustainability. According to the VentureBeat article, Samsung was able to collect nearly five million pieces of e-waste since 2009 and is now working with outdoor clothing & gear company Patagonia to dispose of e-waste scattered in the wild.

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The issue of electronic waste is also at the heart of Philips' concerns, according to the website mmdmonitors.com. In 2021, the company decided to partner with Closing the Loop as well as the TCO Development group (the organization behind the first global certification of IT sustainability) to reduce the waste generated by its monitors but also to take up the challenge of waste compensation.

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Closing The Loop is a Dutch company which collects electronic waste to extract rare materials and recycle them. Their operations runs in particular in Africa, where the majority of electronic products have a second life before being definitively discarded in open-air dumps. The company's action therefore has an extremely beneficial social impact, since it provides a large number of jobs locally, but also has a strong environmental impact by limiting the accumulation of electronic waste.

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II ) Electronics brands transitioning to a more sustainable model

In recent years, increasingly more electronics brands are feeling confident in their transition towards a more sustainable model and have therefore developed quite innovative products to reduce their impact on the environment. These concepts aim to limit overproduction, planned obsolescence, and waste accumulation, all recurring problems in the electronics industry.

The smartphones produced by the Dutch brand Fairphone, for example, are actually made to last for a surprising long time. The company's objective is to provide consumers with an ethical device, made of recycled materials, where each part can be repaired and replaced at will. In addition, the lucky owners of the Fairphone have the possibility to change all the defective parts of the tool by themselves and at a lower cost. In an article in Forbes magazine published in 2022, we learned that the Fairphone brand had been praised by the jury at the Mobile World Congress for its sustainable and avant-garde approach.

In a similar way to "Fairphone excellence", to quote the British newspaper The Guardian, the Framework brand is selling a sustainable and customizable computer. It looks like any other computer available on the market, but it actually offers many more functionalities and features. In that sense, the components of the device are all completely removable and by consequence, also replaceable. The Guardian article continues to mention that the Framework computer would have received a reparability rating of 10/10 by the specialists at iFixit. Lastly, their product is manufactured from sustainable materials as it contains partially recycled materials, including some plastics and aluminum.  

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III ) A new vision ? 

Although multiple new ideas, concepts and solutions are emerging within the electronics industry on a conception, sourcing and production level, some experts have noticed a missed opportunity when it comes to the automation of some services. In fact, although automation services and platforms have been optimized and used intensely to gather elements, produce and assemble new electronic products, it is not the case when it comes to their recycling. 

Noticing this opportunity, Apple developed "the Daisy robot" to perhaps succeed in reversing this trend in the next few years. This tool developed in Texas is the second generation of a prototype conceptualized by the brand in 2016: the Liam robot. This new version, much more efficient and adequately optimized, is composed of four modules. According to Apple, the robot is able to dismantle nearly 200 Iphones per hour, or 1.2 million Iphones per year. With the help of this robot, the company offers a possible systematization of Iphone recycling, which can be applied to other smartphones and certainly to a multitude of other electronic products. An entire article about how the Daisy robot works is here.

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In recent years, other companies have also been looking at how they can rethink the electronics industry as a whole, as well as all the products associated with it. This research has finally led to the genesis of various concepts - which are not yet available on the market - but which give a glimpse of what the electronic products of the future might/should look like.

The Concept Luna for example, imagined by the company DELL, is presented as the laptop of the future. Optimized to be as sustainable and repairable as possible with today's resources and knowledge, this concept aims to reduce the product's environmental impact by half. Inside, DELL revises the motherboard (usually very energy consuming) and proposes a new 75% smaller one. It also reduces the soldering of components by 20% and increases the battery capacity considerably. This device presents itself as a real electronic revolution, one that is in favor of the environment.

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Electronics brands are gradually moving towards a more sustainable model. Whether it is by fundamental conviction or simply in response to the growing consumer demand, they are adapting their policies, visions, and standards, one after the other. The electronics brands who wish to remain relevant and successful in the future are empowered and inspired to make new commitments and to redefine new objectives. They are investing in and developing increasingly innovative concepts, all while actively trying to reduce their impact on the planet in order to recreate a more prosperous and responsible future for the electronics industry. 

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Contact us here or reach out to enquiries@punctuatedesign.com If you want to discuss a project or learn how to make your product more circular!