Smartphones and tablets have only been a mainstream consumer product for around a decade, but the impact they have on the environment, from material extraction all the way to their disposal, is alarming.
Manufacturing electronics is very energy and resource-intensive. It is estimated that at least three-quarters of the total CO2 emissions for these devices are released during the production phase. They are made using mining minerals, rare earth elements, conflict minerals, toxic materials (including heavy metals, bisphenol-A and flame retardants), and plastics that result in pollution and critical resource stress.
Additionally, once these devices are replaced by newer ones they usually get hibernated, which means that their owners forget them in some drawer in an eternal state of un-use, preventing the reuse and recycling of those materials.
The smartphone and tablet’s market is characterised by a premature obsolescence trend caused notably by practices that jeopardise its durability and repairability such as high costs (main barrier that prevents repair according to studies) and parts pairing (serialization of parts that make their replacement either impossible or too complex).
WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN UNION DOING?
Following recommendations produced by the members of Coolproducts, the European Union produced and published ecodesign and energy labelling requirements for smartphones and tablets that tackle the repairability and durability of the devices. These provisions were published in August 2023 and they will fully enter into force by June 2025.
Coolproducts welcomes this regulation as an important step after a long legislative hiatus. However, this is just a first step for a product category that needs further regulation to keep up to date with fast technological developments.
WHAT DOES THE COOLPRODUCTS CAMPAIGN WANT?
- We need more stringent ecodesign regulations.
Concretely, we want to see a ban on serialised parts, a better limitation of the price of spare parts and a longer time of compulsory availability for spare parts and software updates.
We want a more comprehensive label, with clearer and facilitated access to information on the price of spare parts.
Coolproducts technical input and position papers:
2022 – Comments on the revised proposal for smartphone & tablet repair scoring
2021 – Comments on the proposed Energy Efficiency Index for smartphones and tablets
2021 – Comments on the proposed approach to smartphone & tablet repair scoring
Useful Links:
2017 – Greenpeace, From smart to senseless: The global impact of 10 years of Smartphones
2016 – Green Alliance, Better products by design: ensuring high standards for UK consumers
2015 – Green Alliance, A Circular Economy for Smart Devices
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