How to Buy Ethical and Eco-Friendly Electronics (2025)

We all love New shiny electronics. But every smartphone or new laptop comes with luggage. The weight of the climate, terrible conditions for workers, the use of energy, and fears of the IIS, can kill quickly the excitement about shopping for a new tool. None of us wants to be complicit, but what can you do if these problems interest you?

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find ethical and environmentally friendly electronics. But there are things you can do to reduce any negative effect that your purchases may have. Here are some of the ideas we collected, with the help of Tom Prison, technology specialist in Moral consumerThe United Kingdom magazine classifies brands on the basis of various categories, from environmental reports to workers’ rights.

It was updated in April 2025: We added Retrospekt to our recommended brands and some useful links.

Fix what you have

The best way to reduce your effect is to avoid buying new devices if you can. The undesirable truth is that every new tool has a cost of manufacturing, charging, operational, and in the end the waste.

“Most environmental impact, including carbon emissions, occurs during the manufacturing stage,” says Praison. “Estimates indicate that the electricity consumption in the use of a smartphone is less than 1 percent of the carbon emissions of the product.”

It is best to continue to use what you already have or the devices have been fixed to extend their life whenever possible. Fortunately, this has become easier with the US Federal Trade Committee voting to impose the right to reform. Manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung have started providing evidence and repair groups, but there are still ways to go. If you want to check how to repair your tools, then IFixit has a guide, which is also a great place to find educational programs, evidence and all components and tools needed to repair your devices. You may be able to rent the IFixit groups from your local library, and a wired employee is found when searching for Roomba repair.

Buy or have been renewed

Your device may not exceed repair, or you are shopping for a new class of devices you do not know. What then? Try shopping for used or renewed technology. Sometimes you can get a discount on the devices that are often unquestious from new tools. You will not get like Wonderful buy somewhere like the accredited Apple store has been renewed, but you can rest assured that you will get a device that works completely in a new case, with a guarantee.

For deeper discounts, you must buy from merchants or private sellers, but there are more risks. Follow our advice on the best use technology to buy and check our evidence about how to buy a used phone and how to purchase used devices on EBAY to enhance your chances of getting a deal while avoiding potentials.

Do you search?

To manufacture electronic devices, companies need to obtain many materials and components, usually from different countries. This means often that mining and assembly occurs in low -wage countries and minimal protection for workers. “This complexity means that it is difficult to say with certainty that any device that is produced in a completely ethical way does not involve the exploitation of workers and does not harm the environment.”

What are you? He can DO is a closer look at the manufacturer behind the device you want and consider the most important problems for you. Ideally, the company will have strong policies on managing workers’ rights issues in the supply chain and material sources in an environmentally friendly manner. Look for evidence of how to reduce the company from carbon emissions in line with the goals based on science, and know if it tries to reduce harmful chemicals in its products. Also, consider avoiding taxes and transparency policy.

Searching for news stories and searching for the company’s sites can reach the problems they are talking about to a lot of work. Web sites, like the moral consumer, have made some legendary work here to intensify this information in points tables for devices such as laptops and smartphones.

Standards to search for it

Many criteria and signs can help you assess the environmental and moral impact of various technology devices. It is worth searching for the EPEAT (ecosystem for electronic product), which is run by the International Electronics Council. Registered products should meet different criteria for environmental performance and their effect.

Bryson Tco Center recommends a sustainability mark for technical products that look at a wide range of social and environmental factors in the life cycle of each product. To register an accredited designation of TCO, devices must fulfill standards related to design and manufacturing, including workers’ rights, conflict minerals, dangerous chemicals, user health and safety, durability, and recycling.

Consider the use of energy

Consumer electronics require energy for operation. Some of this energy is likely to come from burning fossil fuels, and the greater the energy that the device or device needs, the more electricity bills. Many devices have stickers that reveal their energy efficiency. Choosing more energy -saving devices and using environmental conditions can provide a large amount of energy over the age of the device.

In the United States, you will often see the government -backed energy star sticker, which means that the device is compatible with the energy efficiency standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. You can also find EnergyGuide on some devices that offer the estimated annual operating costs and use of energy. Power stickers in the UK and the European Union show the power efficiency of A to G, energy consumption, and other details such as size, noise and water consumption, in connection.