{"id":640995,"date":"2023-04-24T10:05:21","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T15:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/24\/how-to-buy-ethical-and-eco-friendly-electronics-2023\/"},"modified":"2023-04-24T10:05:21","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T15:05:21","slug":"how-to-buy-ethical-and-eco-friendly-electronics-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/24\/how-to-buy-ethical-and-eco-friendly-electronics-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Buy Ethical and Eco-Friendly Electronics (2023)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<p><span>We all love<\/span> shiny new electronics. But every new smartphone or laptop comes with baggage. Weighing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/feeling-climate-dread-youre-not-alone\/\">climate dread<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2015\/04\/inside-chinese-factories\/\">terrible conditions for workers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/xbox-playstation-cloud-gaming-environment-nightmare\/\">energy usage<\/a>, and worries over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/international-electronic-waste-photographs\/\">hellish ewaste graveyards<\/a> can quickly kill your excitement about shopping for a new gadget. None of us wants to be complicit, but what can you do if these issues concern you?<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, there\u2019s no easy way to find ethically manufactured and eco-friendly electronics. But there are things you can do to reduce any negative impact your purchases may have. Here are a few ideas we\u2019ve compiled\u2014with the help of Tom Bryson, tech specialist at <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.ethicalconsumer.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ethicalconsumer.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Ethical Consumer<\/em><\/a>, a UK magazine that ranks brands based on a variety of categories, from environmental reporting to workers\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n<p><em>Updated April 2023: We added a section on energy use and a new link to find recycling services.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Table of Contents<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#one\">Repair What You Have<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#two\">Buy Used or Refurbished<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#three\">Do Your Research<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#four\">Standards to Look for<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#five\">Consider Energy Use<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#six\">Finding Ethical and Eco-Friendly Brands<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#seven\">Finding Ethical Retailers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#eight\">What About Greenwashing?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/#nine\">How to Dispose of Your Old Electronics<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Special offer for Gear readers: Get a<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.wired.com\/subscribe\/splits\/wired\/WIR_AFFILIATE?source=HCL_WIR_EDIT_HARDCODED_0_COMMERCE_AFFILIATE_ZZ\"><em><strong>1-Year Subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off)<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em>. This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you&#8217;d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2015\/11\/affiliate-link-policy\/\">Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The best way to minimize your impact is to avoid buying new devices if you can. The unpalatable truth is that every new gadget has a cost in terms of manufacturing, shipping, operating life, and, eventually, waste.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of the environmental impact, including carbon emissions, occurs during the manufacturing stage,\u201d Bryson says. \u201cIt is estimated that the electricity consumption of actually using a smartphone accounts for as little as 1 percent of the product\u2019s carbon emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s best to continue using what you already own or get devices repaired to extend their lifespan wherever possible. Thankfully, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/ftc-votes-to-enforce-right-to-repair\/\">US Federal Trade Commission voting to enforce the right to repair<\/a>, this is becoming easier. Manufacturers like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/apple-self-service-repair-right-to-repair-iphone-mac\/\">Apple<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/samsungs-galaxy-repair-kits-better-than-nothing\/\">Samsung<\/a> are starting to offer guides and repair kits, but there\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/apple-repair-kits-expensive\/\">still a ways to go<\/a>. If you want to check into how repairable your gadgets are, <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.ifixit.com\/Right-to-Repair\/Repairable-Products\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ifixit.com\/Right-to-Repair\/Repairable-Products\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">iFixit has a guide<\/a>, and it\u2019s also a great place to find tutorials, guides, and all the necessary components and tools you need to fix your devices.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe your device is beyond repair, or you&#8217;re shopping for a new category of device you&#8217;re not too familiar with. What then? Try shopping for used or refurbished tech. You can sometimes get a discount on devices that are often indistinguishable from brand-new ones. You won&#8217;t get <em>as<\/em> great a deal buying somewhere like <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3DZj0JK\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3DZj0JK\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Apple\u2019s Certified Refurbished store<\/a>, but you can rest assured you will get a perfectly working device in as-new condition, with a warranty.<\/p>\n<p>For deeper discounts, you&#8217;ll have to buy used from dealers or private sellers, but there\u2019s more risk involved. Follow our advice on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-best-used-tech-to-buy-sell\/\">best used tech to buy<\/a> and check out our guides on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/how-to-buy-a-used-phone\/\">how to buy a used phone<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/how-to-buy-used-on-ebay\/\">how to buy used devices on eBay<\/a> to boost your chances of bagging a bargain while avoiding potential pitfalls.<\/p>\n<p>To manufacture electronic devices, companies need to source numerous materials and components, usually from a variety of countries. That often means the mining and assembly often take place in countries with low wages and scant protections for workers. \u201cThis complexity means it is difficult to say with certainty that any device is produced in a fully ethical manner that does not involve exploitation of workers and does not damage the environment,\u201d Bryson says.<\/p>\n<p>What you <em>can<\/em> do is take a hard look at the manufacturer behind the device you want and consider which issues are most important to you. Ideally, the company will have strong policies on managing workers&#8217; rights issues in the supply chain and sourcing materials in an eco-friendly way. Look for evidence on how a company is reducing its carbon emissions in line with science-based targets, and find out if it&#8217;s attempting to reduce harmful chemicals in its products. Also, consider tax avoidance and policy transparency.<\/p>\n<p>Searching for news stories and digging into a company&#8217;s websites to see what issues they talk about can amount to a lot of work. Websites like Ethical Consumer have done some of the legwork here to condense this information into score tables for devices like <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.ethicalconsumer.org\/technology\/shopping-guide\/laptops\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ethicalconsumer.org\/technology\/shopping-guide\/laptops\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">laptops<\/a> and <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.ethicalconsumer.org\/technology\/shopping-guide\/mobile-phones\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ethicalconsumer.org\/technology\/shopping-guide\/mobile-phones\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">smartphones<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There are several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/greenerproducts\/identifying-greener-electronics\">standards and labels<\/a> that can help you assess the environmental and ethical impact of different tech devices. It&#8217;s worth looking for the <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.epeat.net\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epeat.net\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) label<\/a>, which is managed by the Global Electronics Council. Registered products must meet various criteria for environmental performance and impact.<\/p>\n<p>Bryson recommends <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/tcocertified.com\/product-finder\/\" href=\"https:\/\/tcocertified.com\/product-finder\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TCO Certified<\/a>, a sustainability label for tech products that considers the broad range of social and environmental factors in every product&#8217;s lifecycle. To score a TCO-Certified label, devices must meet criteria relating to the design and manufacture, including worker\u2019s rights, conflict minerals, hazardous chemicals, user health and safety, durability, and recyclability.<\/p>\n<p>Consumer electronics require power to run. Some of that energy will likely come from burning fossil fuels, and the more power your chosen device or appliance needs, the higher your electricity bills will be. Many devices have labels that reveal their energy efficiency. Choosing more energy-efficient appliances and using eco modes can save a substantial amount of power over the lifetime of a device.<\/p>\n<p>In the US, you will often see the government-backed\u00a0<a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.energystar.gov\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energystar.gov\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Energy Star<\/a> label, which means the device conforms to energy efficiency standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. You can also find an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/consumer.ftc.gov\/articles\/how-use-energyguide-label-shop-home-appliances\">EnergyGuide label<\/a> on some appliances that displays estimated annual running costs and energy usage. <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.energylabel.org.uk\/the-new-label\/in-a-nutshell\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energylabel.org.uk\/the-new-label\/in-a-nutshell\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Energy labels in the UK<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/energy-climate-change-environment\/standards-tools-and-labels\/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements\/energy-label-and-ecodesign\/about_en\">the EU<\/a> show energy efficiency on a scale of A to G, energy consumption, and other details such as volume, noise, and water consumption where relevant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/how-to-buy-ethical-and-eco-friendly-electronics\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Simon Hill<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all love shiny new electronics. But every new smartphone or laptop comes with baggage. Weighing climate dread, terrible conditions for workers, energy usage, and worries over hellish ewaste graveyards can quickly kill your excitement about shopping for a new gadget. None of us wants to be complicit, but what can you do if these<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":640996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35865,3838,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-640995","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eco-friendly","8":"category-ethical","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}