EP&T: How consumer electronics is becoming more sustainable
by EP&T Magazine
Future success will be determined as much by our stewardship to the environment as to our customers, employees and business partners
SGS Consumer Elect
Sustainability is now on the agenda for individuals, governments and industries. It has joined traditional market drivers – safety, performance and price – in being a consideration when consumers want to buy a new product.
The Consumer Electronics Association acknowledged the importance of taking a more proactive approach to positive environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) in their document, ‘Environmental Sustainability and Innovation in the Consumer Electronics Industry’, where they stated, “we exist not only as part of a global economy, but also as part of a global ecosystem. Our future success will be determined as much by our stewardship to the environment as to our customers, employees and business partners.”
Environmental Impact
We have grown to rely on a wide variety of consumer electronic devices, but this dependence comes at a price. We are estimated to currently using 1.75 planets worth of resources, a figure that is to rise to two planets by 2030. This is more than the planet can replenish and added to this, deforestation and some mining operations are intensifying the problem. Alongside resource use, there are problems associated with increased energy use, higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and a lack of effective recycling.
This article originally appeared in EP&T Magazine. Read the full version here.
