12 Sustainable Electronics Brands Putting The ‘E’ In Eco-Friendly
It’s time to flick the switch on sustainable electronics that keep you connected without harming the planet.
But with so many tiny working (and often non-recyclable) parts sourced through devastating mining, can electronics be eco-friendly at all?
We;re not here to argue the eco tech sector is perfect, but they’re getting there, thanks to the best eco-friendly electronics brands choosing better materials, being transparent about their (fair) supply chain, and creating a strategy for their products’ end-of-life cycle.
They also tackle the 40 million tons of e-waste that gets dumped in landfills every year, leaching toxic substances like mercury, lead, and arsenic.
Whether you’re looking for headphones, chargers, smartphones or laptops, sustainable electronics manufacturers are pioneering a new eco-friendly frontier.
Everything we recommend to you on Sustainable Jungle is independently researched and we ask all brands to confirm their claims. To avoid waste, we test products on an as needed basis. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission. Learn more about why we do this here.
The Best Eco-Friendly Electronics Brands For Planet-Positive Tech
The sustainable brand of electronics Nimble makes all manner of phone chargers made from recycled BPA and PVC-free plastic.
House of Marley ethically elevates your music listening experience with headphones made from bamboo and recycled materials.
A marketplace for second hand electronics, Gazelle gives a new lease on life to a huge range of brand name electronics like phones, laptops, and tablets.
What are examples of sustainable electronics?
Follow the 0s and 1s to the end of the article to see why it is important to consume electronics consciously and check out our guide on how to buy environmentally friendly electronics.
The Most Eco-Friendly Electronics Companies
Sustainable Tech Accessories
Secondhand Sustainable Tech Devices
Eco-Friendly Tech Accessories
1. Nimble
About Nimble’s Eco-Friendly Technology Products
Price Range: $20–$125
Nimble’s motto is “Tech for Good.”
Their eco-friendly electronics accessories include portable chargers, USB-C cables, wireless chargers, wall chargers, and phone cases.
If you’re sick of endless cables, the WALLY Pro Portable Wall Charger is the one eco charger to rule them all.
It features multiple ports and is compatible with Apple MacBooks, tablets, smartphones, fitness trackers, and other USB-powered devices.
It’s made with 72.5% certified recycled plastic and has 63W of charging power.
It’s also ultra-compact for easy storage and has a self-charging 10,000 mAh battery to power anything up to 30W on the go.
Nimble’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Nimble accessories start out with better materials, like bioplastics, recycled aluminum, organic hemp, and recycled water bottles.
Not only are these environmentally friendly materials better during life, but at its end. Every purchase comes with a biodegradable bag where old tech can be sent back to be recycled for free.
Nimble’s chargers also help reduce energy consumption, with about 8.42 lbs fewer carbon emissions than alternative chargers.
The brand is also a Certified B Corp, a member of 1% for the Planet, and a Public Benefit Corporation.
2. House Of Marley
About House of Marley’s Eco-Friendly Music Tech
Price Range: $35–$650
House of Marley is dedicated to carrying on Bob Marley’s legacy by combining his love for both music and our planet.
They’re one of the best brands for new eco-friendly electronics such as headphones, speakers, and turntables —so you can listen to Songs of Freedom as it was meant to be heard.
Crafted from sustainable materials, Redemption Anc 2 True Wireless Earbuds make sure you never miss a beat with 24-hour play time and a six-hour battery life.
They’re sweat and water-resistant, plus active noise and echo cancellation keeps you in the zone with top-quality sound. Choose from three ear sizes to find the perfect fit.
House of Marley’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
House of Marley’s sustainable electronics materials include bamboo, REWIND™ fabric (30% reclaimed organic cotton, 30% reclaimed hemp fabric, and 40% recycled PET), recycled aluminium, reclaimed silicone, FSC-certified wood, and organic cork fabric.
Their Project Marley regularly supports global reforestation and ocean preservation through donations to organizations like One Tree Planted and the Surfrider Foundation.
3. Oakywood
About Oakywood’s Sustainable Tech Accessories
Price Range: $25–$1,100
Their name’s a big giveaway, Oakywood makes beautiful wood-worked sustainable electronic accessories, including laptop stands, phone cases, headphone stands, tablet stands, iPhone stands, wooden Airpod cases, and wireless charging stations.
Choose from a range of styles, including the wireless charging OakyBlocks and the USB-C/Micro USB Android Geometric Block—both of which we own and utilize for a range of electronic devices.
Each one adjusts speed to the smartphone model and has a capacity of up to 15W.
Their wireless and wired wooden phone chargers are stylish with a sleek design that makes them look like part of the furniture. We love the combination of geometric modernity with wooden rustic vibes—which fits just perfectly with our sustainable home decor theme.
Oakywood’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
All Oakywood tech accessories are made from sustainable sources. Materials like solid Polish oak and American walnut are durable, long-lasting, and damage-resistant.
Stainless steel is corrosion-resistant and infinitely recyclable, too.
Plus, all their products are gorgeously simple and earthy, making for excellent gifts for minimalists and tech enthusiasts alike.
Transparency is key for this Polish brand. All prices are broken down to show exactly where the money is going and who benefits.
For every purchase, they also plant a tree. Through their partnership with One Tree Planted, they’ve already planted over 25,000 trees.
4. LSNT
About LSTN’s Eco-Friendly Tech Accessories
Price Range: $40–$180
Eco-friendly electronics company LSTN makes headphones, speakers and earphones with a purpose.
The Satellite 2.0 is a small wireless speaker with a big sound (and impact).
It has eight hours of battery life and 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency for superior sound quality with plenty of base.
At 3.5″ × 2″ × 2″, it’s easily portable for on-the-go music and its real zebra wood casing makes it look the part wherever you decide to stash it.
LSTN’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Hear well, do good is what LSTN is all about.
The world’s first social good electronic gadgets company helps millions of people hear for the first time through the sale of each product.
To date, they’ve helped over 50,000 get access to hearing aids through their non-profit partner Starkey Hearing Foundation.
5. Fairphone
About Fairphone’s Eco Electronic Devices
Price Range: £4.50–£650
We’re not trying to cell you on a new phone if you don’t need one—but if you do, give Fairphone a ring.
This Certified B Corp is in a class all their own as the maker of the world’s most sustainable smartphone.
For a powerful smartphone that’s competitive with the top name brands on the market (*ahem* Apple), take a look at Fairphone 5.
It has intuitive Android 13 software for easy use, lightning-fast speed, and its screen is made from study Gorilla glass. It has a battery life of up to 32 hours and a 50-megapixel dual-lens camera.
Throw in that it comes with a five-year warranty, and you can say goodbye to flimsy phones that break or go obsolete after two.
Fairphone is currently only available in the UK and Europe so the rest of us will be eagerly awaiting their global expansion.
Fairphone’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
So, what about electronics made in a sustainable way?
Fairphone is on it.
Their phones include Fairtrade-certified gold, conflict-free tin, responsibly sourced tungsten, recycled rare earth, post-consumer recycled plastic, and roughly 50% recycled copper.
They have a transparent supply chain and are working towards providing all workers at their final assembly factory with living wages. That may sound like a long way off from being truly ethical, but compared to the rest of the industry, it’s huge.
They also have a Uganda Gold project and are members of the Fair Cobalt Alliance to try to prevent child labor in their supply chain.
6. AGood Company
About AGood Company’s Sustainable Tech Products
Price Range: $18–$50
What good are eco-friendly gadgets without the means to protect them?
Prevent shattered screens and e-waste with a phone case and screen protector kit from tech accessories brand, AGood Company, are durable, plastic-free and come with a bonus multi-charging cable.
The slim yet protective phone case is crafted from a material made from flax and hemp. They’re 100% compostable, but the company encourages you to swap your old phone case for a new one to close the loop.
The matching screen protector is made from triple-tempered recycled glass to ensure long-lasting scratch resistance.
AGood Company’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Certified B Corp AGood Company does what it says on the tin.
The brand is on a mission to keep renewable materials in circulation, localize their supply chain, and remove plastic from the environment.
They are transparent about their supply chain and the environmental impact of all their products—which includes not just eco-friendly phone cases, but eco-friendly notebooks, pens, and other functional everyday essentials.
A portion of the profits are donated to key charitable causes around the world from safe water usage to period poverty.
7. Papershoot
About Papershoot’s Eco-Friendly Cameras
Price Range: $25–$250
Dubbed “‘the cutest digi-cam on the internet”, Papershoot camera are stylish, unique and sustainable.
It’s a simplistic digital point-and-shoot camera designed to mimic a 35 mm film camera—except that it runs on rechargeable AAA batteries and records to a micro SD memory card with a maximum 128GB capacity.
The idea is to combine the aesthetic and experience of film photography with the convenience of digital, all in an eco-friendly package that’s crafted from highly durable stone paper constructed out of pressed limestone and biodegradable resin.
This casing is water-resistant, drop-resistant, and more durable than plastic.
They’re also easily interchangeable by simply removing two screws, so you can mix it up to suit you too.
The Old Classic Black has a retro design that nods to film cameras of the past, or you can go with a jungle theme (as we obviously had to) with the Zen Matsuba.
The camera lens has an 18MP CMOS image resolution, time-lapse capabilities, a 1440p 10-second video clip in MP4 format, and four color effects for fun and creative photography.
We tried one out and were honestly super impressed at both how quick and easy it was to put together, and how well such a pocket-sized package shoots photos.
Sure, you’re not getting DSLR quality (and you aren’t meant to) but you are getting a fun, low impact way to capture your favorite moments.
Papershoot’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Papershoot’s award-winning eco electronics give a much-needed makeover to film and disposable cameras.
They swap out plastic for repurposed, biodegradable, and recycled materials—like the innovative stone paper that makes up the exterior body and skins of the camera.
All cameras are ethically manufactured in Taipei, Taiwan, and a portion of the profits of every camera sold is donated to charity.
8. ANKER
About ANKER’s Eco-Friendly Technology Products
Price Range: $13–$3,900
ANKER is a global leader in sustainable charging technology, specializing in chargers, power stations, power banks, cables, and portable solar panels.
Their Nano Power Bank delivers high-speed charging with dual USB-C ports.
It has a foldable charging connector to make tangled wires a thing of the past. Plus, it features a temperature sensor, so your gadgets don’t get too hot.
The power bank is compatible with most USB-C electronics like AirPods and smartphones. Its lightweight, compact size means you can slip it into your pocket or stash it in a bag for on-the-go. It has a choice of six colors too.
And if you need the off-grid means to charge up your power bank and devices, we highly recommend the ANKER 531 200W solar panel. We love ours both for off-grid travel and as a way to reduce energy consumption home on sunny days.
ANKER’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
ANKER tackles electronic waste by creating chargers with an exterior made from 75% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials, so you can charge your devices responsibly.
What’s more, their packaging contains zero plastic and their new alkaline batteries are free from cadmium and mercury.
Their products are also certified carbon-neutral by the Carbon Trust.
Secondhand & Refurbished Sustainable Tech Gadgets
9. Apple Refurbished
About Apple Refurbished’s Sustainable Second Hand Electronics
Price Range: $139–$1,949
The most ethical and eco-friendly way to upgrade your iPhone or get a “new” MacBook?
Apple may pump out new gadgets at lightning speed, but did you know they also try to keep older ones in use?
That’s why they’ll always buy back your old devices when you upgrade.
Their certified refurbished line comes with a one-year warranty and their eco-friendly electronics repairs include all products in their usual lineup: Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, iPod, Apple TV, and accessories.
Apple Refurbished’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
While Apple as a whole has a long way to go before we’d count them as a sustainable brand of electronics, Apple Refurbished it a start.
It can provide ethical consumer electronics by keeping a single item in rotation longer.
Every “like new” device has been tested to meet Apple’s high standards. In some cases, it’s also been repaired with original Apple parts.
Taking a bite out of electronic waste, giving that iPad a second life prevents it from being dumped in a landfill, where it will release toxic chemicals like mercury, beryllium, and lead.
10. Gazelle
About Gazelle’s Sustainable Refurbished Electronics
Price Range: Varies
Wondering how to dispose of electronics responsibly?
Gazelle gives life to used smartphones and other devices through their easy eco-friendly electronics disposal service.
They provide an option for both buying and selling phones, laptops, and tablets from a range of brands, like Apple, Google, Samsung, and Motorola—to name just a few.
Gazelle’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Gazelle tackles the problem of e-waste with eco-friendly electronics that are “certified pre-owned devices”.
This means that, while the device in question may have some wear and tear, it’s been subjected to a 30-point quality inspection.
Plus, customers get a device at a price that’s only a fraction of what it would be to buy new.
If you have old devices you aren’t using, they make it easy for you to do your part in extending the eco-friendly technology product’s lifecycle by buying your devices fast and outright via an Amazon Gift Card, PayPal, or check.
11. Best Buy Refurbished
About Best Buy Refurbished’s Ethical Electronics
Price Range: $20–$5,000
Best Buy Refurbished offers devices that were returned, checked, repaired (if necessary), and listed for resale.
Their sustainable electronic product range is impressive: laptops, monitors, computer accessories, printers, smartwatches, cellphones, audio equipment, TVs, home theater equipment, video game consoles, and more.
You don’t need to splash the cash on a brand-new MacBook as Best Buy Refurbished has got you covered with the latest (refurbished) models. The easy-to-use website lets you compare different models to help you make the right choice.
Every product sold on Best Buy Refurbished is put through strict testing routines to ensure it works like new.
Some items are Geek Squad Certified, meaning that they meet the strictest standards for repair and are backed up by a 90-day Limited Warranty.
Best Buy Refurbished’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Did you know only 12% of e-waste is recycled?
As the largest sustainable electronics recycling program in the US, Best Buy offers a Trade-In service along with some resources for a proper recycling process for old devices. This keeps perfectly usable tech out of landfills.
You also get money off qualifying new purchases when you trade in a similar electronic device.
12. Amazon Renewed
About Amazon Renewed’s Greener Electronics
Price Range: $3–$14,466
Secondhand sustainable tech products are always best, which is why Amazon Renewed renews our faith in this online giant (if only just a little).
Their range includes smartphones, computers, tablets, cameras, gaming, headphones, home entertainment, tools, home and kitchen appliances like eco kettles, lawn and garden, office products, and portable speakers.
Take a look at their refurbished Apple smartwatches which have been professionally inspected, renewed, and tested. This entails a full diagnostic test, repair/replacement of faulty parts, and cleaning.
It’s backed by the 1-year Amazon Renewed Guarantee.
Amazon Renewed’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
We’re big advocates of ethical online shopping which means (almost) always choosing alternatives to Amazon where possible.
Here’s one exception.
We typically wouldn’t think of Amazon as one of the ethical places to buy electronics, but this offshoot of Amazon is a great place to buy pre-owned, refurbished, and open-box products.
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How To Buy Sustainable Tech & Accessories
Is a sustainable electronics industry possible?
The fast fashion mentality of buying the latest upgrades, rinse, and repeat may seem like the electronics industry is a long way off from being, in any way, green.
But there is hope as organizations like Sustainable Electronics are pushing for systematic change in how electronics are built, used and recycled.
To help them with their sustainable electronics initiative, here’s what we recommend when buying eco electronics:
- Use what you have: The most eco-friendly electronic devices are the ones you already own—seriously, you don’t need the latest iPhone every year. Because e-waste and eco-friendly electronics are still interlinked, we need to extend the life of the tech products we already own.
- Second hand is always best: If you absolutely need a “new” piece of technology, do what you can to get it used. Resale sites like Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are good places to buy second hand, in addition to the refurbished options mentioned above.
- Ethical sourcing of raw materials: Does a brand consider child and forced labor? How transparent is their supply chain? Are they taking steps to support mining
Communities? What are the eco-friendly materials for electronics?
- Ethical manufacture: What about what happens after raw materials are sourced? Are factory workers supported with safe working environments and fair, or living, wages? Are steps being taken to minimize their exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials?
- Quality and longevity: Is the product built to last? Is it durable, or will it fall victim to planned obsolescence? Are repairs or part replacements available? Is there a warranty?
- End-of-life policies: What happens when the product can no longer be used? Can it be properly recycled? Are there parts that can be reused in new products? What else is a brand doing to keep products out of landfills? Do they enlist the help of tech consultants like Sage Sustainable Electronics to extend their life or ethically recycle their gadgets?
What is clear is that even the best electronics brands typically don’t get all of this right but we applaud those that have at least taken steps to make a sustainable future out of a very dirty industry.
How We Found The Best Sustainable Electronics Brands
So, what is sustainable technology?
As the realm of eco-friendly electronic devices is still relatively new, there’s no hard and fast way to assess them yet, but here are the things we screened for.
Materials:
A good rule of thumb is to focus on the materials, as they’re a big contributor to climate change, eutrophication, energy consumption, toxic chemicals, land use, resource depletion, acidification, ecotoxicity, water depletion, and human toxicity—to name just a few parts of tech’s environmental impact.
Recycled, recycled, recycled.
This is one of the best things we can do when it comes to making eco-friendly tech. Many of these brands are making use of recycled plastic, as well as recycled metals.
While we probably won’t see these in a laptop anytime soon, it is comforting to see tech accessories made from bioplastic, organic hemp, recycled organic hemp, flax, sustainable wood, upcycled materials, organic cork, and recycled water bottles.
- Certifications: Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC)
Supply chain & labor practices:
Beyond that, anything that can speak to how materials have been sourced provides some peace of mind. Manufacturing certifications to back up sustainable practices and fair sourcing are ideal.
While they have a long way to go, some companies are trying to clean up the industry’s act by supporting workers with fair, living wages and safe working conditions.
- Certifications: B Corporation (B Corp), Public Benefit Corporation, fair trade
Green business practices:
A key environmental issue of electronic devices is their end-of-life outcome, so we asked, “How can electronics be sustainable?”
To compensate for the environmental impact of their products, many of these sustainable electronics brands offset their carbon emissions through carbon offset programs and/or e-waste neutral providers or are supporting our planet by providing recycling programs or planting trees.
- Certifications: Climate Neutral
Final Thoughts On Eco-Friendly Tech & Accessories
So are electronics eco-friendly?
That’s a big eco “eh”—but at least the technology industry is on the right path.
It’s easy to get hyped up on new tech, but truly smart and sustainable electronics are those you already have in your home or in your pocket.
Even if you’re absolutely pining for that new iPhone, take some time before adding it to your cart. Delayed gratification is better for your mood and for our planet.
When you do need to upgrade, be sure to utilize proper eco-friendly electronics disposal channels for your old electronic devices.
Have a technophile in your life?
Please share this greener electronics brands list with them so we can all stay connected in a more sustainable way.
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