Editing Consumer electronics (section)

==Environmental impact==

[[File:Guide to Greener Electronics 2017.svg|thumb|Guide to Greener Electronics 2017 findings]]
In 2017, [[Greenpeace USA]] published a study of 17 of the world's leading consumer electronics companies about their energy and resource consumption and the use of chemicals.<ref>[https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/reports/greener-electronics-2017/ Guide to Greener Electronics 2017] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113113437/https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/reports/greener-electronics-2017/ |date=13 January 2011 }} Greenpeace USA, 2017</ref>

=== Rare metals and rare earth elements ===
Electronic devices use thousands of [[Precious metal|rare metals]] and [[rare earth element]]s (40 on average for a [[smartphone]]), these materials are extracted and refined using water and energy-intensive processes. These metals are also used in the renewable energy industry meaning that consumer electronics are directly competing for the raw materials.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=The myth of the green cloud|url=https://www.eib.org/en/stories/digital-footprint|access-date=2020-09-17|website=European Investment Bank|language=en|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414035732/https://www.eib.org/en/stories/digital-footprint|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Infographic: The Carbon Footprint of the Internet – ClimateCare|url=https://climatecare.org/infographic-the-carbon-footprint-of-the-internet/|access-date=2020-09-17|language=en-GB|archive-date=5 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305081930/https://climatecare.org/infographic-the-carbon-footprint-of-the-internet/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Energy consumption ===
The energy consumption of consumer electronics and their environmental impact, either from their production processes or the disposal of the devices, is increasing steadily. [[Energy Information Administration|EIA]] estimates that electronic devices and gadgets account for about 10%–15% of the energy use in American homes – largely because of their number; the average house has dozens of electronic devices.<ref>[http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/ "Heating and cooling no longer majority of US home energy use"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402032921/http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/ |date=2 April 2015 }}. EIA.gov</ref> The energy consumption of consumer electronics increases – in America and Europe – to about 50% of household consumption if the term is redefined to include [[home appliance]]s such as [[refrigerator]]s, [[Clothes dryer|dryers]], [[Washing machine|clothes washers]] and [[dishwasher]]s.

===Standby power===
[[Standby power]] – used by consumer electronics and appliances while they are turned off – accounts for 5–10% of total household energy consumption, costing $100 annually to the average household in the United States.<ref name="energygov2012">{{Cite web| title = 3 Easy Tips to Reduce Your Standby Power Loads| last1 = Chu| first1 = John| website = Energy.gov| publisher = [[United States Department of Energy]]| date = 1 November 2012| access-date = 10 September 2014| url = http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/3-easy-tips-reduce-your-standby-power-loads| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140910222654/http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/3-easy-tips-reduce-your-standby-power-loads| archive-date = 10 September 2014| url-status = live| df = dmy-all}}</ref> A study by [[United States Department of Energy]]'s [[Berkeley Lab]] found that videocassette recorders (VCRs) consume more electricity during the course of a year in standby mode than when they are used to record or playback videos. Similar findings were obtained concerning [[set-top box|satellite boxes]], which consume almost the same amount of energy in "on" and "off" modes.<ref name="energygov2009">{{Cite web| title = Please Stand By: Reduce Your Standby Power Use| last1 = Lippert| first1 = John| website = Energy.gov| publisher = [[United States Department of Energy]]| date = 17 August 2009| access-date = 10 September 2014| url = http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/please-stand-reduce-your-standby-power-use| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140911010754/http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/please-stand-reduce-your-standby-power-use| archive-date = 11 September 2014| url-status = live| df = dmy-all}}</ref>

A 2012 study in the United Kingdom, carried out by the [[Energy Saving Trust]], found that the devices using the most power on standby mode included televisions, satellite boxes, and other video and audio equipment. The study concluded that UK households could save up to £86 per year by switching devices off instead of using standby mode.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harvey |first=Fiona |author-link=Fiona Harvey |date=26 June 2012 |title=Leaving appliances on standby 'can cost UK households up to £86 a year' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jun/26/appliances-standby-cost-households-energy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910204647/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jun/26/appliances-standby-cost-households-energy |archive-date=10 September 2014 |access-date=9 September 2014 |work=The Guardian |df=dmy-all}}</ref> A report from the [[International Energy Agency]] in 2014 found that $80{{spaces}}billion of power is wasted globally per year due to inefficiency of electronic devices.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-02/electronic-devices-waste-80-billion-of-power-a-year-iea-says.html|title=Electronic Devices Waste $80 Billion of Power a Year, IEA Says|first=Matthew|last=Carr|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=2 July 2014|access-date=9 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910195603/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-02/electronic-devices-waste-80-billion-of-power-a-year-iea-says.html|archive-date=10 September 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Consumers can reduce unwanted use of standby power by unplugging their devices, using power strips with switches, or by buying devices that are standardized for better energy management, particularly [[Energy Star]]-marked products.<ref name="energygov2012"/>

===Electronic waste===
[[File:ewaste-pile.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Electronic waste]]: discarded electronic equipment]]

A high number of different metals and low concentration rates in electronics means that recycling is limited and energy intensive.<ref name=":1" /> [[Electronic waste]] describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Many consumer electronics may contain toxic minerals and elements,<ref name="Normal is recycling">{{cite web | url=http://www.videtteonline.com/index.php/2014/09/08/normal-is-recycling-your-out-of-date-electronics/ | title=Normal is recycling out-of-date electronics | work=Vidette Online | publisher=[[Illinois State University]] | date=8 September 2014 | access-date=9 September 2014 | author=Moreno, Julia | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910200002/http://www.videtteonline.com/index.php/2014/09/08/normal-is-recycling-your-out-of-date-electronics/ | archive-date=10 September 2014 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> and many electronic scrap components, such as [[Cathode-ray tube|CRTs]], may contain contaminants such as [[lead]], [[cadmium]], [[beryllium]], [[mercury (element)|mercury]], [[Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds|dioxins]], or [[brominated flame retardant]]s. [[Electronic waste recycling]] may involve significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaking of materials such as heavy metals from [[landfill]]s and [[incineration|incinerator]] ashes. However, large amounts of the produced electronic waste from developed countries is exported, and handled by the [[informal sector]] in countries like India, despite the fact that exporting electronic waste to them is illegal. Strong informal sector can be a problem for the safe and clean recycling.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2071920,00.html |title=Is India's E-Waste Problem Spiraling Out of Control? |last1=Bhowmick |first1=Nilanjana |date=23 May 2011 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=14 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008145727/http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2071920,00.html |archive-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====Reuse and repair====

E-waste policy has gone through various incarnations since the 1970s, with emphasis changing as the decades passed. More weight was gradually placed on the need to dispose of e-waste more carefully due to the toxic materials it may contain. There has also been recognition that various valuable metals and plastics from waste electrical equipment can be recycled for other uses. More recently, the desirability of reusing whole appliances has been foregrounded in the 'preparation for reuse' guidelines. The policy focus is slowly moving towards a potential shift in attitudes to reuse and repair.

With turnover of small household appliances high and costs relatively low, many consumers will throw unwanted electrical goods in the normal dustbin, meaning that items of potentially high reuse or recycling value go to landfills. While more oversized items such as washing machines are usually collected, it has been estimated that the 160,000 tonnes of EEE{{expand acronym|date=May 2025|Electrical and electronic equipment}} in regular waste collections were worth £220{{spaces}}million. 23% of EEE taken to Household Waste Recycling Centres was immediately resalable – or would be with minor repairs or refurbishment. This indicates a lack of awareness among consumers about where and how to dispose of EEE and the potential value of things that are going in the bin.

For the reuse and repair of electrical goods to increase substantially in the UK, some barriers must be overcome. These include people's mistrust of used equipment in terms of whether it will be functional, safe and the stigma for some of owning second-hand goods. But the benefits of reuse could allow lower-income households access to previously unaffordable technology while helping the environment at the same time.<ref>Cole, C., Cooper, T. and Gnanapragasam, A., 2016. Extending product lifetimes through WEEE reuse and repair: opportunities and challenges in the UK. In: Electronics Goes Green 2016+ Conference, Berlin, Germany, 7–9 September 2016</ref>