By using TCO Certified, generation 8, you send a clear message to industry to protect human rights, work against corruption and protect workers’ rights.

Two and a half billion people use smartphones daily. Did you know that smartphones are connected to conflicts and violence because of minerals such as tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold? These minerals are often called conflict minerals since they are mined in conflict-affected areas where human rights abuses are common.

In the fifth installment of our 2016 Sustainable IT webinar series, we make a deep dive into circular economy and IT-products with Annachiara Torciano and Louise Koch.  We take a closer look at the current state of circular economy policy approaches, and what it means for the development of more sustainable IT products.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that electronics are more widely used than ever before.. Is it possible to turn the tide on e-waste?

In the first of our 2016 Sustainable IT webinar series, we found out more about toxics in IT-products.

We will be publishing on-demand versions of the presentations from Sustainable IT Summit 2015 in 3 parts. In part 2, Dr. Mark Rossi from US-based Clean Production Action provides an overview of GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals

In a new report released by the United Nations University, global electronic waste has reached record high levels. 41.8 million tons of e-waste was generated in 2014, fuelling concerns about the growing risks to public health, resource conservation and the environment.

Increasingly, IT-using organizations are looking for computer products that are environmentally preferable and made under socially responsible conditions. Yet, shorter product cycles and growing demand for new technologies puts increasing pressure on industry and its complex supply chain to deliver new devices faster and at a lower cost. The result is often inadequate working conditions in electronics manufacturing, including long working hours, low wages and a lack of health and safety measures. The problem is widespread and well publicized through media and NGO monitoring.

A new study on the effects of E-waste on human health reveals serious negative outcomes for those dismantling and handling components of discarded electronics. The study, published by the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, details that workers, some as young as six years of age, are routinely exposed to hazardous materials and inhalation of toxic gases through direct handling of discarded electronics. People affected by this health crisis are mostly in areas where there is little knowledge about the health risks and in many cases no basic health care or social protections.