Every year, 2.4 million tonnes of electronics go into landfills in the US alone. It results in an astounding 860 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, or 2% of world carbon emissions. We are becoming a disposable society. Millions of Americans upgrade to the newest smartphones, when their current phone works just fine. The waste piles up, while rare materials are extracted from the Earth. Let's look at ways to reduce your technology’s environmental impact, from its production, usage, and disposal. 

Production is the major contributor to a product's lifetime carbon impact. For a single iPhone, up to 88% of its carbon footprint results from manufacturing. While it may be out of your control to shift your device's entire production process, you can still make a powerful impact as a consumer to limit the harm this phase does to the environment.

First, you can actively support environmental protection regulation through attending protests, lobbying, and raising awareness around such issues. Next, you can choose only to purchase electronic devices from sustainable manufacturers. This could be buying Energy Star products, researching the environmental impact of the device you want to purchase, and deciding if you need it. Finally, buying used and holding onto your device until it is non-functional is a significant plus for the environment. You don't need the newest smartphone each year!

The next major polluter in the lifecycle of a device is its usage. Depending on which electronic products you have, you can save on usage in various ways. And if you're up for it, switching to a renewable energy source can make your entire home green.

Take These Tips:

1. When you fully charge your phone, unplug it from the cable to preserve its battery and save energy. This also applies to other "vampire" appliances. 

2. If you have a desktop, don't leave it on when you're not using it! Please turn it off. 

3. Additionally, lowering the brightness of displays can help save battery life and even reduce eye strain.  

Finally, when you need to dispose of your electronic device, don't just throw it away. If it's in good condition, you could sell it and make some extra cash while giving the device a second life. If not, then recycle it. Many products have valuable components like lithium-ion batteries or even gold. Manufacturers are starting to implement recycling programs to give your device a second life - and they'll also pay you for returning your product! 

As electronics make their way into new aspects of our lives, we must be conscious of how they impact our health and the environment. Help make an effort to reduce your electronic carbon footprint by taking the simple actions of ensuring sustainable production, taking steps to reduce their usage, and disposing of them properly. You can give your device a much better life, as well as Earth.

Hey there! Below you can find the sources we used to determine technology’s environmental impact. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding these sources.

Our Sources

Baldwin, Roberto. "Your PC Is Ruining Your Vision. Here’s How to Beat Eye Strain." WIRED, 3 Apr. 1808, https://www.wired.com/2013/09/flux-eyestrain/.

"Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data | US EPA." US EPA, 7 Sept. 2017, https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/durable-goods-product-specific-data.

"Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data | US EPA." US EPA, 12 Jan. 2016, https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data.

Wang, Li-Chun. "A Survey on Green 5G Cellular Networks." National Chiao Tung University Academic Hub, 20 Oct. 1222, https://scholar.nctu.edu.tw/en/publications/a-survey-on-green-5g-cellular-networks.

https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPhone_11_PER_sept2019.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.