Device Reuse is Becoming More Practical for Long Term Sustainability

As groundbreaking new smartphone features and game-changing jumps in processing speed fill our newsfeeds at less frequent intervals, the electronics hardware industry is bringing more attention to their advancements in sustainability. Awareness of the environmental impacts of manufacturing, distributing and disposing of devices has increased substantially in recent years and created an opportunity for manufacturers to differentiate their devices by how eco-friendly they will be.

Increased recycled content and green energy sources for production are great examples of the necessary steps being taken to create sustainable devices, but perhaps more important for creating a circular economy is enabling reuse.

As electronics lifecycle organizations like CEAR work to find the highest and best use of material, there are a lot of positive changes making reuse easier. From manufacturers, longer software support commitments and increased standardization are reducing early obsolescence. Consumers are also finding that more modest performance gains from one device generation to the next make it easier to hold off on upgrades.

Longer lasting devices also go beyond sustainability gains by enabling innovative business models. Device takeback programs offer returned value to consumers, as well as the opportunity for refurbishment and reuse of the devices. Subscription services are also becoming more common, making upgrades and changing needs easier to handle without paying upfront or managing ownership and disposal.

For electronics, over 75% of lifetime carbon emissions occur before they are first sold so the most sustainable devices are used or refurbished products whose carbon footprint is no longer defined by production. CEAR is committed to advancing the circular economy of electronics and has a complete refurbishing and reuse program. Our customized solutions combine advanced facility and data security with revenue sharing from remarketing, and all aspects of the electronics lifecycle are served by our fully integrated services. Contact us to create a solution with CEAR.