How to Buy Ethical and Environmentally Friendly Electronics (2025)

We all love it Shiny new electronics. However, every new smartphone or laptop comes with luggage. Measuring Climate fear, Bad condition for workers, Energy useI’m worried Hellish ewaste cemetery You can quickly kill any excitement about shopping for new gadgets. None of us want to conspire, but if these issues relate to you, what can you do?

Sadly, there is no easy way to find ethically manufactured eco-friendly electronics. However, there are things you can do to reduce the negative impact you may have to buy. With the help of Tom Bryson, there are some ideas we compiled. Ethical Consumersa British magazine that ranks brands based on a variety of categories, from environmental reports to workers’ rights.

Updated in April 2025: Added Retrospekt to recommended brands and some useful links.

Repair what you have

The best way to minimize your impact is to do Avoid purchasing new devices If possible. The unpleasant truth is that every new gadget costs money to manufacture, ship, sell life and ultimately wastefully.

“Most environmental impacts, including carbon emissions, occur during the manufacturing phase,” Bryson says. “It is estimated that the power consumption of actual smartphone usage is consumed by only 1% of the product’s carbon emissions.”

That’s perfect Keep using what you already own Alternatively, repair your device to extend the lifespan as much as possible. Thankfully, this is easier US Federal Trade Commission vote to enforce repair rights. I like the manufacturer apple and Samsung We are beginning to provide guides and repair kits, Still a way to go. If you want to see how much gadgets can be repaired, Ifixit has a guideand is also the perfect place to find tutorials, guides, and all the components and tools you need to fix your device. You may be able to rent an ifixit kit from your local library, as one wired staff discovered while trying to fix the Roomba.

Buy second hand or renovated

Maybe your device hasn’t exceeded repairs or you’ll be shopping for a new category of devices you don’t know much about. So what? Try buying used or renovated technology. In many cases, you may receive a discount on your device. You can’t get As Buy something like something and trade a lot Apple Certified Renovated Shophowever, you can rest assured that you can get a fully functional device with a warranty and in a new state.

For a deeper discount, you need to use from dealers and private sellers, but there is more risk. Follow the advice of The best technology to buy Check out the guide How to buy a second-hand phone and How to buy used devices on eBay To increase the chances of bagging bargains while avoiding potential pitfalls.

Do your research

Manufacturing electronic devices usually requires procuring a large number of materials and components from various countries. That means that mining and assembly often takes place in countries with low wages and poor protections for workers. “This complexity means it’s hard to say for sure that every device is produced in a completely ethical way that does not involve exploitation of workers and does not harm the environment,” Bryson says.

What can What you’ll do is to take a stern look at the manufacturer behind the device you want and consider which issues are most important to you. Ideally, the company has a strong policy of managing workers’ rights issues in the supply chain and procuring materials in an environmentally friendly way. Look for evidence on how companies are reducing their carbon footprint in line with science-based goals and see if they are trying to reduce harmful chemicals in their products. Also consider avoiding tax exemptions and policy transparency.

Searching for news articles, digging into the company’s website and seeing what issues they are talking about can be a huge amount of work. Websites like ethical consumers do some of the legwork here to condense this information into the device’s score table Laptop and Smartphone.

Standards to look for

Some Standards and Labels It helps to assess the environmental and ethical impacts of various technological devices. It’s worth looking for it EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Evaluation Tool) Labelis administered by the Global Electronics Council. Registered products must meet various criteria for environmental performance and impact.

Bryson recommends TCO certifieda high-tech product sustainability label that takes into account a wide range of social and environmental factors across the life cycle of all products. To obtain a TCO certified label, the device must meet design and manufacturing standards such as workers’ rights, conflict minerals, dangerous chemicals, user health and safety, durability, and recyclability.

Consider using energy

Consumer electronics requires power to run. Some of that energy is likely to come from fossil fuel burning, and the higher the need for the device or appliance of your choice, the higher your electricity bill. Many devices have labels that reveal energy efficiency. Choosing a more energy-efficient appliance and using ECO mode can save a significant amount of power over the life of your device.

In the US, governments often support it Energy Star The label means that the device complies with energy efficiency standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. You can also find it EnergyGuide Label On some appliances that display estimated annual running costs and energy usage. UK Energy Label and theme It shows energy efficiency in A to G scale, energy consumption, and other details such as related volume, noise, and water consumption.