Production

Making laptops is an energy-intensive process, both from the materials used and the building of the device. The materials used in laptops consist mainly of plastic and metals. Plastic production accounts for 3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, nearly double that of aviation. Metals are mined all over the world; cobalt from Congo, silver from Peru, Lithium from Zimbabwe… the list goes on. Not only does land clearing for mining release carbon dioxide, but these metals need to be transported around the world to manufacturing sites. China manufactures around 70% of laptops globally, with factories typically powered by coal, which releases high amounts of carbon emissions. Add to this the carbon emissions from transporting the finished device to suppliers around the world, and the manufacture of just one laptop creates around 214 kilograms of CO2.

Most modern laptops are not sustainable as they are designed to last just a few years, and are hard to upgrade, meaning that when memory starts to fill up or the battery starts to give out, it is often easier and cheaper to buy a new model. This short life expectancy means that e-waste is one of the largest growing waste streams globally.

A sustainable laptop is in the upcycling

Despite newer laptops having higher energy efficiency and lower embodied carbon emissions, you’d be mistaken to think the most sustainable option would be to trade in your old laptop for a new one. An estimated 70% of laptops can be reused, and surprisingly if a new laptop is 10% more energy efficient than your old one, the emissions from its production, distribution, and disposal would take decades to recoup.

So, the most sustainable solution for a laptop: take care of the one you have, and repair it when needed. Components like batteries, RAM and storage can be upgraded easily, but other parts are slightly harder to replace – we’d recommend contacting the brand to check options and costs.

Buying a sustainable laptop

Refurbished

You can easily find refurbished or renewed laptops online, which often come with a new warranty.

New

Simply replacing a laptop with a new model means many of the environmental costs mentioned at the start of this article are incurred again. Even a super energy efficient model will only deliver a limited reduction in its carbon footprint over its whole life cycle.

But, if you really do need to buy a new model, look out for:

• Energy efficiency – reducing the energy needed to manufacture and use the laptop
• Materials innovation – minimising the use of materials, especially harmful materials
• Designed for upgrade and recycling – laptops that can have more memory or a larger hard disc added

Circular computing produce the world’s first remanufactured sustainable carbon-neutral laptops. A study by Cranfield University has shown that remanufactured HP, Lenovo, and Dell laptops all performed at 93-97% of the levels of a new computer from the same brands.

Check out the Ethical Consumer comparison table for ethical laptops, PC’s, and tablets, and find out more about the issues associated with laptops here. Or with HP you can calculate the carbon footprint of your laptop before purchase.

If you have found these tips on sourcing a sustainable and ethical laptop guide useful, we also recommend our Sustainable Smartphones guide.