Repair, reuse, resist: The rise of sustainable electronics

The rapid explosion of technological innovation and advancement over the last few decades has revolutionised how we live, work, and communicate. Smartphones, laptops, and gadgets have become deeply embedded in our daily routines, making household names out of tech giants like Apple, Samsung, HP, Dell etc. These mainstream tech companies thrive on annual releases of their products, with each iteration introducing incremental changes.

In order to justify annual product launches, mainstream tech brands follow a culture of planned obsolescence, successfully bringing consumer demand to an all time high. Planned obsolescence is a policy of producing products with the intention of making them obsolete after a certain period, whether that is through withdrawing software support for the product, not allowing purchase of spare parts, or making them impossible to repair, thereby forcing consumers to purchase new versions of the product.

However, at the same time, consumers are also becoming a lot more environmentally conscious of the products they consume. Sustainability has become more than just a buzzword — it is a movement driven by concerns over electronic waste, unethical supply chains, and the environmental toll of mass production.

E-waste has quickly become a leading cause of environmental damage, with over 50 million tonnes of e-waste being produced annually, in large part, due to the practices of mainstream tech giants, many of whom now produce hundreds of electronic devices per year.

However, unlike mainstream tech companies who champion profit and innovation above all else, some smaller companies have turned their focus primarily on sustainability. These brands have emerged to challenge the immense wastefulness of the tech industry, positioning themselves as leaders in sustainable technology.

Fairphone, a Dutch company founded in 2013, is a trailblazer in sustainable smartphones. The founders of Fairphone claim that they never set out to make phones. In fact, they began as a campaign to raise awareness about horrible mining practices of mainstream tech companies, urging them to source more ethically.

Eventually, they realised that if they wanted things to change within the industry, they would have to do it themselves. Thus, the first Fairphone was born.

Another company based in California, Framework, is leading the charge for modular laptops which are designed to be easy to assemble, upgrade and repair.

The philosophy of sustainable tech brands

For brands like Framework and Fairphone, sustainability is not a marketing strategy — it is their core identity. Fairphone is committed to ethical and sustainable smartphone manufacturing, focusing on conflict-free minerals, fair wages for workers, and, most importantly, modular, repairable designs.

Unlike most mainstream smartphones, which are designed to be difficult to repair or upgrade, Fairphone devices allow users to easily swap out batteries, cameras, and other components, significantly extending their lifespan.

Similarly, Framework has taken a radical approach to laptop manufacturing. In contrast to products like Apple's MacBooks, which are known for their tightly integrated, difficult-to-repair designs, Framework's laptops are designed with parts that can be easily repaired by average users, including modular ports and upgradeable motherboards. This approach not only reduces electronic waste but also challenges the notion that consumers need to buy entirely new devices every couple of years.

In our current technological landscape, the best method for sustainability is to buy second-hand products. The second best way is to keep using a device for as many years as possible. As such, modular devices that support the right to repair are one of the biggest ways consumers can practise sustainability.

Can sustainable tech compete?

Despite the appeal of repairable, long-lasting devices, brands like Fairphone and Framework operate in a market still largely defined by major brands that prioritise sleek, disposable designs over sustainability.

The mainstream brands have responded to increasing environmental concerns by incorporating green initiatives, such as using recycled materials in their products, carbon offset programmes, and trade-in services for old devices. Apple, for instance, now uses recycled aluminium in its MacBooks and aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. HP and Dell have committed to closed-loop recycling, ensuring that materials from old devices are reintegrated into new products.

However, the difference lies in how sustainability is approached. For companies like Apple, Dell, and HP, sustainability is a secondary consideration that must fit within their existing business model, which still relies on constant upgrades. In contrast, Framework and Fairphone actively seek to break this cycle, designing products meant to last, with repairability as a key selling point.

The biggest challenge, however, is that mainstream brands have the advantage of scale, making their products more accessible and often cheaper than those of sustainability-first companies. As noble as their cause is, companies like Fairphone and Framework simply cannot offer the same user-experience at similar price points. Android and iPhones offer much cheaper options of much higher quality, ensuring that consumers stick with their superior products.

Ethical superiority

One area where sustainable tech brands undoubtedly hold the moral high ground is in supply chain transparency and ethical material sourcing. Fairphone, for example, goes to great lengths to ensure that its materials — such as cobalt, tin, and tungsten — are sourced from conflict-free mines and that workers throughout the supply chain are paid fair wages.

In contrast, while major brands like Apple and Samsung have pledged to improve labour conditions in their supply chains, they have been subject to repeated controversies regarding worker exploitation and unethical sourcing practices.

However, this is also a double-edged sword because ethical sourcing and fair wages necessitate that products from these companies will be more expensive compared to products from mainstream companies that exploit labour.

The downsides of sustainability-focused tech

Despite their ethical and environmental advantages, sustainability-first brands have great limitations. Availability remains a major issue. While Apple and Samsung have global supply chains and retail presence, Fairphone and Framework operate in niche markets, inaccessible to most.

For example, since its inception in 2013, Fairphone has sold less than 500,000 phones. Additionally, repairable and modular designs, while beneficial, have major trade-offs in performance, sleekness, and durability. Moreover, brand awareness is a major hurdle. The vast majority of consumers are unaware of sustainable tech options and default to mainstream choices.

Despite these challenges, sustainable tech brands signal a growing environmental awareness in consumers, and a desire for ethical production, repairability and longevity in their devices. If this continues to grow, the tech industry will have to respond.

For now, these brands act as symbols of what the tech industry could and should be — one that values the environment and ethics over convenience and profit.