Relating Performance to Sustainability
Manufacturers often focus on performance and reliability. That is especially true when their brand values include high quality and a superior customer experience.
That makes sense. People want products that work as promised. Delivering something that makes their lives easier or more enjoyable builds customer loyalty and trust. Customers are often willing to pay more because they believe the product is worth it.
Where does environmental sustainability fit in? That depends on what you make and what your customers care about.
One example: laptop computers
The more durable and high-performing the laptop, the less frequently it needs replacing. That means all the materials and energy that went into making the laptop keep offering value for longer. That’s a win for sustainability.
I rely on my laptop every day for work. Whether I’m participating in or running Zoom meetings, writing content, creating presentations, exchanging emails, or interacting on social media, I need the computer to perform as expected. I can do some things on my phone, but not all my daily work.
My 2019 laptop recently started having loads of problems. The camera sometimes doesn’t work. The Bluetooth mouse and keyboard often lose connection for no apparent reason.
A few times, the computer suddenly quit on me. Remember the “blue screen of death?” It’s not a good sign.
The final straw was when the audio setting malfunctioned. No matter what I did, it would set itself to 100% volume. People in Zoom meetings and video content presenters shouted at me, and I couldn’t get it to stop. Sometimes, restarting the computer did the trick, but then the problem would crop up again.
I took my laptop to a repair shop that diagnosed the hard drive with 3% health. Replacing the hard drive would cost more than buying a new laptop. And it might not solve all the problems with the camera or Bluetooth connectivity. The repair people suggested buying a new laptop.
Which laptop to buy? It will be no surprise to my readers that I’m a customer who cares about sustainability. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about performance, quality, and reliability. All those factors are connected.
Repairability
One of the first websites I visited in my search for a new laptop was iFixit. The company’s mission is to promote the repairability of electronics. The website includes repair guides for everything from phones to kitchen appliances. The company sells tools to help people repair their stuff at home.
iFixit also posts repairability ratings for smartphones, tablets, and laptops on a scale of 0 (unrepairable) to 10 (easy to repair).
Sorry to disappoint Apple fans, but MacBooks do terribly. Many are rated 1 or 2, with comments like, “Proprietary pentalobe screws continue to be hostile to repair.”
An article on Lifewire is called “The MacBook Pro Is Highly Repairable…for a Mac.” Author Charlie Sorrel, who interviewed me for the article, noted the iFixit score of 3/10 and wrote, “believe it or not, that’s an excellent score for a Mac notebook.”
The top-rated laptop, with a perfect 10, is from Framework. The company launched in 2020 with the intention of creating fully repairable laptops. Unfortunately, they don’t appear to offer touchscreens. It may sound silly, but I’ve become accustomed to a touchscreen device. Still, I feel guilty for not buying a Framework computer. Does choosing a different brand mean I’m not living my values?
I decided to go with a well-known brand, HP. Their products get reasonable marks for repairability and high marks for performance and durability. I have been happy with HP printers. Here’s to hoping my new HP laptop lasts many years.
What are your priorities when choosing a laptop or other electronics?