The environmental benefits of repair
Devices are often replaced because they are too difficult to fix or they are not built to last. Keeping them longer would have enormous environmental benefits.
Too many products on sale today are not built to last. They break easily and are difficult or impossible to fix. All those throwaway products represent an enormous waste of resources – and inflict a heavy toll on our environment.
- Every electronic device contains critical minerals. The supply of these precious resources isn’t endless, and we shouldn’t waste them. Mining these minerals can also cause lasting damage where they are extracted.
- The mining and manufacturing of electronics takes a large amount of energy. In some cases, more energy is used to make the products than is used over a lifetime of operating them.
- Mining, manufacturing and transporting electronic products creates water and air pollution – including carbon pollution that is the leading cause of global warming. The greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production stages of a product’s life, measured in the CO2 equivalent, are known as embodied carbon.
By making products that are built to last and easy to fix, we can reduce the number of new devices we create – and the pollution that comes from making them. To understand the impact of using products longer, we estimated the climate pollution that would be avoided by increasing the lifespans of 12 common electronic devices and appliances by one year, by 50% and by 100%.
Here’s how much climate pollution we could avoid.
Using our devices even one year longer can make a big environmental impact.
If Americans used our cell phones for one more year, the pollution saved would be equivalent to growing nearly three million tree seedlings for ten years.
That is a lot of carbon-absorbing trees.
If our laptops and desktop computers lasted one year longer, the amount of pollution eliminated would be equivalent to taking more than 250 thousand typical cars off the road for a year.
Some home electronics and appliances require even more materials and energy to produce. Keeping our TVs one more year would be equivalent to cutting the pollution created by the annual electricity use of nearly 500 thousand homes.
Keeping our microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators and washing machines another year would be equivalent to cutting the pollution created by the annual electricity use of nearly 125 thousand homes.
Learn more about the national environmental impact of common devices and appliances.
Methodology
Overview
This data visualization estimates the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (in CO2 equivalent) that would be saved by increasing the lifespan of 12 consumer electronics and appliance product categories by 1 year, 50% and 100%. The calculations only include reductions in the embodied carbon resulting from production of each product, and exclude emissions from the use phase and other phases of a product’s life cycle.
Assumptions
The estimates assume that extending a products’ lifetime will not increase or decrease the amount of embodied carbon it contains. For example, the embodied carbon in replacement parts used to extend a product’s lifetime is not included in this calculation. In addition, any products that require software support are assumed to l be able to receive necessary software updates throughout the extended lifetime of the product. State estimates assume that all states consume these products at the same per capita levels.
Calculations
Desktop computers, televisions, laptops, cell phones, tablets, digital cameras, printers/copiers and gaming consoles; 50% and 100% extended lifespan:
The national annual embodied carbon emissions reduction from increasing these products’ lifespans by 50% and 100% in kg/device were calculated by multiplying the annual reduction in total embodied carbon in kg/kg by the products’ weight in kg, using data from “Disentangling the worldwide web of e-waste and climate change co-benefits” by Narendra Singh and Oladele A. Ogunseitan.
Then, to obtain national figures, the estimate of the annual embodied carbon savings for extending each products’ lifespan by 50% and 100% was multiplied by the number of units sold or shipped in 2023 in the U.S.
Refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and microwaves; 50% and 100% extended lifespan:
The annual embodied carbon emissions reduction from extending these products’ lifespans by 50% and 100% was calculated by multiplying the devices’ embodied carbon emissions by the number of units sold or shipped in a given year in the U.S., divided by three for a 50% extended lifespan, or divided by two for a 100% extended lifespan.
All products; 1 year extended lifespan:
The annual embodied carbon emissions reduction from increasing a products’ lifespan by 1 year was calculated by multiplying the embodied carbon in each device by U.S. sales or shipments in 2023, as described above, then dividing the result by the product’s lifespan plus one year.
State estimates
State estimates were calculated using the relevant national data point multiplied by that state’s percentage of the national population.
Equivalencies
To calculate equivalent emissions reductions from other sources, conversions were used for the carbon sequestration of trees grown for 10 years, annual emissions from typical gasoline- powered vehicles on the road and the average annual amount of electricity used by a U.S. home.
Data sources
Data for the embodied carbon in desktop computers, televisions, laptops, cell phones, tablets, digital cameras, printers/copiers and gaming consoles, as well as those products’ weights and lifespans are from the paper “Disentangling the worldwide web of e-waste and climate change co-benefits” by Narendra Singh and Oladele A. Ogunseitan.
Data for the embodied carbon of refrigerators is from the study “A life-cycle assessment of household refrigerators in China” by Rufeng Xiao et. al. and represents an estimate for refrigerators sold in China. Data for the embodied carbon of dishwashers, washing machines and microwaves, as well as the lifespans of dishwashers and microwaves, are from the study “Optimum operational lifespan of household appliances considering manufacturing and use stage improvements via life cycle assessment” by Carlos Alejandre et al. The data for refrigerator and washing machine lifespans are from the study “Environmental impacts of household appliances in Europe and scenarios for their impact reduction” by Roland Hischier et al. and represents the lifespan of appliances sold in Europe.
Data for annual U.S. product sales or shipments for most products were obtained from Statista for the year 2023 (unless otherwise noted), which can be accessed here: desktop computer sales, television sales, laptop sales, smartphone shipments, tablet sales, digital camera sales, printer/copier sales, gaming console sales, dishwasher shipments in 2019, washing machine sales, microwave shipments in 2019. Refrigerator sales were over 8 million in 2020, according to Cleango.
State population data are from the U.S. census.
Conversion data for equivalencies are from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator – Calculations and References page.
The authors thank Frontier Group intern Caroline Crowley for research assistance.
Credits: Visual icons by rvector via Shutterstock.com
Topics
Authors
Nathan Proctor
Senior Director, Campaign for the Right to Repair, PIRG
Nathan leads U.S. PIRG’s Right to Repair campaign, working to pass legislation that will prevent companies from blocking consumers’ ability to fix their own electronics. Nathan lives in Arlington, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.
Quentin Good
Policy Analyst, Frontier Group
Quentin Good is a policy analyst with Frontier Group. He has a B.A in Economics from Metropolitan State University of Denver and an M.A in International Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration from the University of Denver. He served with the U.S. Peace Corps for three years in Senegal, West Africa, as a community economic development volunteer and sector leader. Quentin lives and works in Denver.
Dyani Chapman
State Director, Alaska Environment Action
Dyani is the state director of Alaska Environment and runs campaigns to promote clean air and water, open spaces, and a livable climate in Alaska. She lives in Anchorage and loves to hike, ski and hang out with her family.
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