By Dela Ahiawor
Emerging smartphone brands are taking the lead on sustainability as a way of life the world needs to curb the worsening climate catastrophe.
TCO Development, the entity behind TCO Certified – the world’s foremost sustainability certification for IT products, says there’s greater demand for more sustainable smartphones lately.
Sören Enholm, CEO of TCO Development in a media note to DEL REPORT said: “Purchaser demand for more sustainable smartphones is growing, and there is also a greater interest among smartphone brands to invest in sustainability, which makes the future look a bit brighter. It is emerging brands that are leading the way toward more sustainable smartphones.”
According to, TCO Certified- emerging smartphone brand, Fairphone 4 5G a small company certified in 2021. Realme GT2 Pro, currently the most affordable smartphone followed this year. In all there are now three smartphone models certified, says TCO Certified. The criteria of TCO Certified cover both environmental and social responsibility in the supply chain and throughout the product life cycle, including hazardous substances, circularity, socially responsible manufacturing, environmentally responsible manufacturing and more.
Globally more than one billion smartphones are sold annually, despite the fact that, sales of new smartphones seem to have dipped from the start of 2022 due to component shortages and global uncertainty. The reason for the increased sales figures means smartphones are being exchanged often.
The fact also remains that, smartphones serve as a massive smokestack for carbon emissions in the environment. Per Deloitte’s estimates in December 2021: “The expected total amount of smartphones in use by the end of 2022 (4.5 billion) will generate 146 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions this year. An alarming 83 percent of these emissions will come from the manufacture, shipping, and first year of use of the 1.4 billion new smartphones that are sold in 2022.”
Sustainable (eco-friendly) smartphones are manufactured using sustainable and recycled materials. They last longer and boast minimum energy use with efficient charging. Besides, sustainable phones have parts that can be easily replaced and also not expensive to repair.
—Dela Ahiawor, is a journalist focusing on sustainability/ climate related journalism and events across the globe. He blogs at delreport.com—
Contacts: Email: deljason3000@yahoo.com Twitter: @DAhiawor
