šµBig Tech is under more scrutiny than ever. Anti-trust lawsuits are cropping up all over the place and concerns about content moderation have come into laser-sharp focus following the Capitol riots. One area that hasnāt received much attention is sustainability. And you have to wonder. Why is that? Itās simple. Environmental issues arenāt a priority for politicians as they donāt always involve making money.
Being sustainable means putting in the time, energy and making strategic investments. If all tech companies focused on the following three things, we could make tech sustainable and help our planet š
1ļøā£. Make it a priority to form a closed-loop supply chain. That means making new products by sourcing and reclaiming materials from old products. Bulk metals like aluminium and steel, precious metals like cobalt, copper and palladium. Plastic, glass and paper from the packaging. They can all be recycled and we wouldnāt have to keep mining for new materials from the Earth.
2ļøā£. Work with supply chains and manufacturing partners to create facilities that run on clean energy. Or even convert existing facilities. It isnāt enough to have corporate facilities that run on renewables if much of the carbon footprint is created in the supply chain.
3ļøā£. Consider the full product life cycle. That means manufacturing, shipping, usage and eventually recycling. A large portion of the carbon footprint comes from the day to day usage of a product. By creating devices with more energy-efficient processors, with smarter and longer-lasting components it helps to reduce power consumption and the need to replace products as often. And repairability is important too. The best way to be more sustainable is to keep using your current device as long as possible.
Iād love to know your opinion on this issue down in the comments šæ