Here at Synapse, we’ve made a core commitment to make products that last longer, consume less energy, and use recycled materials as part of a circular economy. So, it’s no wonder we’re pretty fired up to talk about sustainable products and companies during Earth Month.
Over fifty million tons of e-waste is created globally each year. While it’s pretty clear that we need to improve recyclability, the biggest impact we can make is generating less waste to begin with by making products last longer. This is where Right to Repair comes in.
Right to Repair requires manufacturers to provide owners and independent repair businesses with fair access to service information and affordable replacement parts. Essentially making it so that you can fix your device instead of throwing it away when it stops working or when a shiny-new model is released. This isn’t a new concept, we already have it for things like cars and washing machines.
With 30 states considering Right to Repair in 2024 and Oregon recently becoming the fourth state to put legislation into effect, the electronics industry is going to be held to new standards. Some companies have already jumped ahead of the competition when it comes to repairability — here are a few we think are notable:
Framework Laptop
Framework is leading the way in the right-to-repair world, with high-performance upgradeable laptops that generate less waste and last longer. Though some brutally honest recent reviews of their latest Framework Laptop 16 mention that there are still performance improvements to be made, we’re extremely excited about the future and industry influence of the most user-repairable, customizable laptops around. The modular design and upgradeability of these laptops also help support a circular economy (similar to the next product & company on the list).
Fairphone
The Fairphone 5 is built to last, easy to repair, backed with OS, software, and security updates until 2031, and is covered directly by the company under a 5-year warranty — and that’s just a few of the things that make it unique in the electronics industry. We admire that the company is changing how things work by sharing what they know about industry practices and proving that products can be made more sustainably.
Valve Steam Deck™
Steam worked with iFixit, the world’s largest online repair community, to provide replacement parts and repair guides for the Steam Deck. While the original LCD version was repairable, earning a 7 out of 10 on its repairability score, changes to the screws, bumper button locations, and more have made the new Steam Deck OLED even easier to repair.
Although some prominent electronics tech makers are in opposition of right-to-repair legislation, most manufacturers received higher grades than last year, indicating that there is continued movement forward. We’re looking forward to being a part of the change and working with our clients to improve the overall sustainability of their products.
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