How we are changing the way we rate sustainability of consumer electronics

Under the new criteria, products will lose marks if they do not meet a certain threshold for progress

When we first started looking at the sustainability of consumer electronics at the beginning of 2019, we soon discovered that reliable information was very hard to find. It was difficult to establish which smartphones, tablets, headphones and other items were even capable of being repaired, let alone how long they might last or whether they contained recycled materials.

The status quo was very much don't ask, don't tell". Upon asking, very few manufacturers even had records of the relevant information. Fewer still made it available for public consumption.