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The 8 most sustainable computers for your office
Technology is a big part of our everyday life, and for some, it is necessary to do their jobs or be in contact with family. The list of devices available to us is also long, so choosing the right product can be hard.
To make the decision easier for you, we have created a list with sustainability in mind. The 8 devices mentioned in this list will rank from the most sustainable to the least sustainable depending on multiple factors.
This is how we ranked the products
The list we have created first checks the material the products are made of. These products are for example known to be produced from recycled materials and/or environmentally friendly materials. We have also looked at the price point, the general power consumption which we either calculated from the battery and charger, or got from benchmark tests, and how the product is treated at the end of life.
Many factors are going into ranking a product, but we have tried our best to add some of the best options below.
What to look for in a sustainable computer
There are many things you can look for when shopping for your next computer. Some factors might be more important to you than others, but generally, these seem to repeat themselves:
- Pricing
- Produced using sustainable materials
- Sustainable factory
- Power consumption
- End-of-life treatment/Recyclable materials
Is it the right time to buy a new computer?
A good question is always whether it is the right time to buy a new computer, and it is a question only you can answer. In general, it is always advisable to keep your devices for as long as possible, since the product would have polluted less as older it gets.
So if you frequently (Once a year or every second year) switch out your devices, then it might be too early for you to buy a new computer. Studies have shown that to make a computer as sustainable as possible, then we need to keep it for at least 5 years. To justify those numbers, please consider taking a look at the numbers below.
According to CircularComputing, there goes approx. 19 earth materials into building a laptop, some of these are critical which means they might run out soon. 50% is steel and aluminum, 26% is ABS PC, 12% is metals, 9% is epoxy, 2.93% is LCD glass, and 0.07% is silicon plastics. Extracting these materials emits 1/3 of a tonne of CO2 and requires 190,000 liters of water. Taking into consideration that there currently are more than 2 billion computers in the world, then it's enormous pollution just to produce these products.
The 8 most sustainable computers
#1 Apple MacBook Air M1 (And M2)
The Apple MacBook Air M1 is a thin and light laptop that is designed for portability and performance. It has an incredible battery life of approx. 15 hours and is made of environmentally friendly materials such as aluminum and glass. The laptop is priced at around $999 and has a power consumption of 3-12 watts. In idle it will mostly draw 3-4 watts. Its production is considered sustainable because it is made of environmentally friendly materials and is designed to be easily recyclable at the end of its life.
#2 ASUS Zenbook UX305FA
The ASUS Zenbook UX305FA is a thin and light laptop that is designed for everyday use. It has a slim profile, a long battery life of 5-8 hours, and is made of environmentally friendly materials. The laptop is priced at around $699 and has a power consumption of 4-6 watts. Its production is considered sustainable because it is made of environmentally friendly materials such as bamboo, recycled plastic, and aluminum.
#3 Acer Chromebook Spin 713
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is a lightweight and portable laptop that is designed for students and professionals who need to be mobile. It has a long battery life of up to 10 hours and is made of environmentally friendly materials. The laptop is priced at around $629 and has a power consumption of 4-6 watts. Its production is considered sustainable because it is made of environmentally friendly materials such as aluminum and is designed to be easily recyclable at the end of its life.
#4 ASUS VivoBook S15
The ASUS VivoBook S15 is a sleek and stylish laptop that is designed for everyday use. It has a long battery life of up to 12 hours and is made of environmentally friendly materials. The laptop is priced at around $799 and has a power consumption of 4-6 watts. Its production is considered sustainable because it is made of environmentally friendly materials such as bamboo, recycled plastic, and aluminum.
#5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a lightweight and powerful laptop that is designed for business users who demand performance, durability, and long battery life of up to 16 hours (Depending on the user settings). It is made of recycled materials and is Energy Star certified. The laptop is priced at around $1,249 and has a power consumption of 10-15 watts. Its production is considered sustainable because it is made from recycled materials and its packaging is made from recycled materials as well.
#6 Dell Latitude 7420
The Dell Latitude 7420 is a high-performance business laptop that is designed for professionals who demand reliability, security, and durability. It has a battery life of up to 13 hours depending on the user settings. It is made of recycled materials and is Energy Star certified. The laptop is priced at around $1,279 and has a power consumption of 10-15 watts. Its production is considered sustainable because it is made of recycled materials and is designed to be easily recycled at the end of its life.
#7 HP Elitebook 840 G7
The HP Elitebook 840 G7 is a high-performance business laptop that is designed for professionals who demand reliability, security, and durability. It is made of recycled materials and is Energy Star certified. The laptop is priced at around $1,199 and has a power consumption of 10-15 watts. The battery life is expected up to 18 hours depending on the user configurations. Its production is considered sustainable because it is made of recycled materials and is designed to be easily recycled at the end of its life.
#8 The FrameWork laptop
The FrameWork laptop is one if not the most sustainable laptop you can get, because of how parts can easily be switched out once they need to. With the FrameWork laptop you can switch out parts such as the display, the battery, the fan, and even the CPU. This is a big difference from other laptop brands because parts are often soldered or glued which makes it either really hard or impossible to change parts.
Author
Michael Andersen
Michael Andersen is the author of Sustainable Web Design In 20 Lessons and the founder of Sustainable WWW (World-wide-web), an organization teaching sustainable practices. With a passion for web design and the environment, Michael solves puzzles to make the internet more sustainable.
Michael Andersen
Michael Andersen is the author of Sustainable Web Design In 20 Lessons and the founder of Sustainable WWW (World-wide-web), an organization teaching sustainable practices. With a passion for web design and the environment, Michael solves puzzles to make the internet more sustainable.
