Which are the most sustainable computers and peripherals?

Trying to purchase technology with an environmental conscious is tough. Although most manufacturers will wave eco-credentials, how can you be certain to spot the truly sustainable brands?

We’ve used our expertise to scour the market for sustainable desktops, laptops, monitors, peripherals and printers, all made by brands that are paying much more than lip service to the e-waste crisis.

Who makes the most sustainable technology?

The problem with talking about buying sustainable technology is that the industry is far from eco-friendly. Over 50 million tonnes of e-waste is produced annually, so in real terms, the most sustainable technology is the one that you already own. However, that’s no comfort if flames are emanating from your faulty laptop.

Our list showcases the best new products, built by manufacturers that are progressive in their environmental strategy and transparent about their progress and KPIs.

Is it better to buy refurbished technology instead of new?

From an environmental perspective, purchasing refurbished technology is preferable. However, we acknowledge that this may not always be feasible, particularly when a fleet refresh requires 1,000 identical machines. Nevertheless, by making informed decisions to extend product lifecycles, new products can provide many years of service and be refurbished for multiple owners.

Here’s our guide to the most sustainable products, from the most sustainable brands.

Who makes the most sustainable laptops?

Out of the thousands of laptops on the market, unearthing a sustainable selection is difficult. Framework has shown that modern laptops and long lifecycles are not mutually exclusive and perhaps it has inspired Lenovo to strengthen the ThinkPad T Series.

Although Lenovo’s environmental and social governance (ESG) reports show progress in emissions and energy, the reason we think this is the most sustainable laptop is that Lenovo has rediscovered repair.

The ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 and T16 Gen 3 devices have user-replaceable keyboards, speakers, batteries and SSDs, with most spares available directly from the manufacturer. Lenovo has produced a comprehensive Hardware Maintenance Manual should the T Series not live up to the ThinkPad’s impressive reputation for robustness.

While the T Series doesn’t feature obvious green innovations like recycled plastics, it prioritises exceptional repairability. This focus enhances the likelihood of a long product lifecycle and future refurbishment.

Our TechFinitive laptop recommendation: Lenovo T Series ThinkPad

Who makes the most sustainable desktops?

From a sustainability perspective, the humble desktop outperforms most laptops due to its ease of repair and upgradability. Since the majority of a device’s environmental impact occurs during manufacturing, desktop modularity allows certain components to continue functioning even after others have been replaced. The trick is to buy the right desktop and Asus’ ExpertCenter D7 Mini Towers are our recommendation.

ExpertCenter machines adhere to Asus’ Green standard, which prioritises environmental considerations throughout the design, manufacturing and recycling processes. ExpertCenter desktops are available in an array of specifications. Using standardised components within an easy-access chassis makes maintenance, repairs and upgrades straightforward.

Asus’ latest ESG report shows that it has a broad focus on environmental concerns, with many targets set for 2025. It is tackling the challenge of circularity with its own recycling program. In 2021, they collected over 50,000 computers as part of the Asus Foundation’s efforts to shrink the digital divide.

Our TechFinitive desktop recommendation: Asus ExpertCenter D7 Mini Towers

Who makes the most sustainable monitors?

As with laptops, trying to spot a monitor with sustainability credentials amongst the thousands on offer can be a confusing way to spend an afternoon.

The Dell S2725DS is a product packed with sustainable elements with thoughtful design and considered material construction.

The monitor contains a staggering 79.4% post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR). PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) plastics melt down and mix with virgin plastic sources to create new products. Additionally, 7.9% of the monitor’s plastic content comes from closed-loop ITE-derived materials, which reclaim materials from IT equipment.

Dell’s product designers have gone much further than simple plastic reuse. Each device incorporates 100% recycled aluminium into the monitor and stand, whilst every LED panel contains up to 20% recycled glass. For a single product, Dell has squeezed an impressive amount of post-consumer materials into the design.

One of the critical areas of sustainable practice is product packaging. For a global company such as Dell, designing a box which is more eco-friendly whilst able to withstand brutal shipping routes is a huge, but necessary challenge.

The Dell S2725DS monitor ships in a box made from 100% renewable content, which is a combination of FSC certified forests, recycled content and/or FSC controlled wood. According to Dell’s latest ESG, by 2030, Dell aims to bring this form of 100% renewable and recyclable packaging to its entire range.

Peer inside the box, and you’ll notice that Dell has removed the EPE (Expanded PolyEthylene) foam cushioning, replacing it with a fibre solution that reduces the plastic content of the product by 22%. When you consider Dell shipped 10.32 million units in 2023, that’s a much-needed reduction in its waste output.

Finally, Dell has worked hard to create a more sustainable monitor that will use much less power. Aside from being certified to Energy Star 8.0, Dell also estimates that the PowerNap mode within Display Manager will lower energy use by up to 14.8%.

Our TechFinitive monitor recommendation: Dell S2725DS

Get your guide to Dell Technologies’ sustainability services

Find out how expertise and innovative technologies from Dell Technologies and Intel can help achieve your goals. This guide offers a comprehensive overview of how Dell services can support your sustainability efforts.

Who makes the most sustainable headphones?

The peripheral sector, largely consisting of plastic-based products, has also developed with most manufacturers finding greener ways to produce products.

If there’s one company that is driving change whilst raising awareness of the environmental and social impact of technology, it’s Fairphone. And it has poured its phone knowledge into headphones, the Fairbuds and Fairbuds XL.

Both devices incorporate recycled materials and are manufactured in ‘fair factories’. In these factories, workers actively participate in enhancing working conditions and receive a bonus to supplement the difference between their living wage and a decent salary.

For you as a buyer, both devices are repairable, with easy access to parts and ‘how to’ guides. The USP for both – even the Fairbuds – is that they have user-replaceable batteries.

Our TechFinitive headphone recommendations: Fairbuds and Fairbuds XL

Who makes the most sustainable laptop bags?

Dicota is a Swiss company that makes premium-level bags from recycled material. Its Eco range uses between six and 45 recycled PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) bottles as a source material and its concept product, Vanguard (revealed in January at CES), uses discarded fishing nets and PVB from car windscreens.

Dicota is also proactive in terms of social working conditions and is a member of Amfori, the leading business association for sustainable trade. Dicota’s range is vast, so take advantage of its Productfinder tool to find the correct bag for your device.

Our TechFinitive bag recommendation: Dicota Eco Range

Who makes the most sustainable keyboards, mice and webcams?

TechFinitive readers recognise Logitech as a global technology leader with a strong commitment to environmental initiatives. The board oversees all aspects of Logitech’s Design for Sustainability (DfS) strategy.

Logitech’s ESG is focused and credible with strategic targets for emissions reduction, energy conservation, inclusivity and circularity. Its Next Life Plastics initiative explains Logitech’s approach to material inclusion, including an ever-growing register of products detailing how much PCR is within each SKU.

Our TechFinitive mouse & keyboard recommendation: Logitech MK235

Our TechFinitive webcam recommendation: Logitech Brio 500

Who makes the most sustainable printers?

Assessing sustainability isn’t a simple calculation, but for printers, the considerations can be overwhelming. Like the other products in our guide, factors such as packaging and energy efficiency are vital markers, but a printer’s constant appetite for consumables and spares drastically increases its environmental footprint.

Lexmark’s 9-Series, a new range of colour printers and multifunction products (MFPs), has been designed with durability and reliability at the heart of the offering.  

According to Lexmark, each device has hundreds of fewer parts compared to other devices and they’re easy to access behind one cover. This may not appear to be a green innovation worthy of your attention, but Lexmark’s sustainable focus is to keep 9-Series devices running for longer. Fewer components reduce the failure rate and an easy-to-repair machine will minimise downtime. According to Lexmark testing, experienced technicians can perform the ten most common service actions, including complex tasks, in under 15 minutes.

Longevity aside, Lexmark’s 9-Series is constructed with a high content of PCR material – 56% for base-model MFPs rising to 73% for base-model printers and Lexmark has targets to raise this further by 2025. Powering this is Lexmark’s ability to create its own PCR, partly through the LCCP (Lexmark Cartridge Collection Programme) and LECP (Lexmark Equipment Collection Program) schemes.

In terms of wider environmental credentials, within their latest ESG Lexmark declared to be well ahead of their energy reduction and Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas targets and received a Platinum EcoVardis Medal for 2024, placing it amongst the top 1% of assessed companies.

What’s refreshing about Lexmark’s 9-Series is that they’re an A3 range (though will print from A6) and typically these are larger, more complicated devices with higher energy requirements. To create the 9-Series, Lexmark has developed their successful A4 7-Series to produce a wide range of devices, re-engineered for longer lifecycles and short downtime.

Our TechFinitive printer recommendation: Lexmark 9-Series

How can you be a sustainable shopper?

Despite the efforts of leading technology brands to improve their environmental and social impacts, we still have to play our part.

To maximise the materials, conflict minerals and rare-earth elements inside these products, we need to look after them. Simple right? So, run diagnostics and perform maintenance, keep the laptop in a protective bag, shake the crisps from the keyboard, anything to keep your technology in decent shape so it has the potential to live on as a refurbished device when your next upgrade comes along.

The critical thing for us all to do is recycle carefully. Many of the brands we’ve mentioned will take back your technology. Dell told me:

“As part of our commitment to accelerate the circular economy, we encourage recycling, refurbishing and reusing devices and materials where possible. We try and make it as easy as possible for customers to responsibly and securely recycle their devices and we offer various free programs in the US and around the world”.

Dell

Dell has a dedicated recycling page, as do Lenovo, Fairphone, Lexmark, Logitech and Asus.

Giving the products back to the manufacturer enforces the Polluter Pays principle. Large manufacturers are investing in recycling and refurbishing processes to prevent end-of-life plastics and toxins from escaping into the wild and many have developed closed-loop systems to reform your old tech into something new. Most tech manufacturers are much better at recycling and reclamation than your local municipal recycling facilities.

Genuinely sustainable technology may not yet be a reality, but we hope you can see that there are plenty of environmentally friendlier options on the market.