In recent years, the creative and tech industry has stepped up its efforts to help the environment — and we have dozens of innovative and eco-friendly products as a result. For some sustainable tech companies, this includes using recycled plastics to make everything from laptops to camera bags. Other companies have made major long-term pledges to reduce — or in some cases, eliminate — their carbon footprints. Meanwhile, some brands are getting creative with their eco-friendly practices. This includes tree planting, sea-turtle conservation, and a host of pay-it-forward initiatives in between.
This all means that consumers can also do their part to support the industry’s shift toward environmentally friendly gear. All it takes is doing some research before buying, asking questions like:
- Is this company dedicated to sustainability?
- Does this product incorporate recycled materials?
If you don’t know where to start when determining a tech company’s sustainability practices, you can start right here. Here are 11 tech and creative companies making environmentally conscious changes — and new products — that are both sustainable and innovative.
HP
HP is looking to drive its business into a low-carbon future. Since 2017, the company has launched over 300 new products containing ocean-bound plastic. More specifically, its HP Pavilion laptop speaker housing reuses over 92,000 plastic bottles annually alone.
The company’s ultimate goal is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the HP value chain by 2040. By 2030, its estimated to reach 75% circularity for its products and packaging. Starting in 2016, HP is set to recycle 1.2 million tonnes of hardware and supplies by 2025.
Logitech
Logitech is taking its environmentally-friendly practices seriously. Currently, 65 percent of mice and keyboards within the brand’s largest product portfolio now incorporate post-consumer recycled plastic. This has immensely reduced Logitech’s carbon impact, and goes above and beyond its initial commitment to 50 percent in 2020.
The sheer numbers show this is much more than “going green” for the sake of a sustainability slogan. Logitech eliminated roughly 8,000 tons of virgin plastic from its products in 2021. Ultimately, this equates to an estimated 19,000 tons of CO2 preserved throughout a product’s life cycle.
For example, the Logitech G Pro X Superlight Wireless Gaming Mouse is a fully carbon neutral certified product.
Samsung
In July 2020, Samsung Semiconductor — the Samsung Electronics subsidiary responsible for memory, logic, LED components, LCD and OLED panels, and storage devices — introduced its DS Sustainable Management Office. This specific role, plus the creation of individual sustainability offices per division, shows how deep this eco-friendly dedication goes. What does this look like for Samsung?
For one, all of Samsung’s worksites in the U.S., Europe, and China operated with 100 percent renewable energy sources in 2020, according to the brand’s most recent sustainability report. It also recently expanded its Galaxy Upcycling program, which lets consumers repurpose their used Galaxy smartphones as smart-home device. This ultimately saves these gadgets from taking up space in a landfill. Samsung has also introduced a variety of eco-friendly packaging options for not just recycling, but up-cycling.
Acer
Acer’s eco-friendly Vero line is proof of the brand’s intention to protect the environment. This line of sustainable products is made from recycled materials. It also includes an “eco+” option within its computers to let users control their energy effectiveness and cut down their carbon footprint.
This innovative line is one of many ways Acer is going green. Through the brand’s Earthion initiative, Acer vows its core products will have 30 percent post-consumer recycled content in its products by 2025. It also commits to an 80 percent carbon reduction by 2050. Acer products are poised to consume 45 percent less energy by 2025.
Sony
Sony’s another technology brand with big eco-friendly aspirations. Since 2010, the brand has been working on its “road to zero” strategy. This is an environmental initiative with the goal of achieving a zero environmental footprint for the life cycle of Sony products and its business activities by 2050. To date, Sony has reduced its energy consumption by 54 percent. It has curbed CO2 emissions by using renewable energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 11 percent. Also, its waste generation is down 15 percent —according to its latest sustainability figures.
Additionally, last year Sony announced that it would be creating a new eco-friendly paper material for its packaging, made from bamboo, sugarcane, and post-consumer recycled paper.
Canon
By 2050, Canon aims to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions — and that’s just the start of the brand’s lofty eco-friendly goals. Canon offers a variety of recycling programs to ensure customers have an easy way to recycle their products. This includes consumer products, ink cartridge recycling, and more. Additionally, Canon created an innovative and environmentally conscious array of toner products to curb hazardous substances while reducing plastic waste.
Canon also has a robust array of biodiversity programs aimed at curbing climate change and preserving the natural environment. This includes tree plantings, bird monitoring, support of national parks like Yellowstone, and Canon Canada’s Branch Out program, which lets employees at all levels create new green spaces in their local communities.
Microsoft
Microsoft made waves in the sustainable-tech movement when it launched its Ocean Plastic Mouse in 2021. The shell of the mouse is made with a groundbreaking 20 percent recycled ocean plastic. That’s plastic waste collected from the oceans and waterways that’s cleaned, processed into recycled resin pellets, blended, and turned into the Ocean Plastic Mouse. This is a big win for the world’s at-risk waterways.
Beyond this mouse, Microsoft invites customers to send in their old products instead of throwing them away. Plus, it offers 100 percent recyclable packaging with a box that’s plastic-free and created from recyclable sugarcane natural fibers and recyclable wood.
Nikon
Nikon is another technology company cutting carbon emissions. In fact, Nikon plans to reduce its own emissions to “virtually zero” by 2050. Given the dire state of climate change, Nikon also updated its policies in 2021 with new greenhouse gas reduction targets. The new goal? Cut greenhouse gas emissions at Nikon facilities by 71.4 percent by March 2031.
Other moves Nikon is making to do its part for the planet include reducing water withdrawal at its facilities, cutting waste generation, creating guidelines to ensure hazardous chemical substances stay out of the environment, and more. Nikon also provides its devices to researchers in the medical and life sciences fields to aid groundbreaking research.
Fujifilm
Fujifilm’s mission to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 percent “across the entire product life cycle” by 2030 proves its dedication to saving the environment. The brand hopes to convert at least 50 percent of purchased electric power to renewable energy by 2030, andreduce water use by 30 percent by 2030 as well. Those are just a few of Fujifilm’s environmental vows, which also include waste reduction and minimizing chemicals that enter our environment.
Perhaps one of the brand’s biggest milestones is its introduction of the “Green Value Products” certification program. This initiative includes certification criteria to evaluate the environmentally conscious design of each product. It’s implemented not just by Fujifilm, but by third-party experts to guarantee utmost objectivity and transparency. So far, it has 166 certified products in this range. (View the list here.)
Lowepro
Technology brands aren’t the only ones helping creators make greener purchases. Camera-bag powerhouse Lowepro offers its own array of packs created with recycled materials: the PhotoSport III sustainable adventure backpack series. This green line is made with 75 percent recycled materials. The lining, insert, and AW cover are made of 100 percent recycled materials, while the outer shell is 50 percent recycled.
Peak Design
Peak Design, known for everything from tripods to bags and accessories, is another creative industry brand breaking the mold to protect the environment. The brand cofounded Climate Neutral, a nonprofit designed to help businesses accurately measure — then offset and reduce — their carbon footprint. They also practice what they preach by offsetting the entirety of their own carbon footprint from resource extraction to finished product delivery. To guarantee full transparency, they hired third-party experts to calculate these emissions.
Additionally, Peak Design prioritizes eco-friendly materials. The main fabric for their bags is 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyester and 100 percent post-industrial recycled nylon. Also, they’ve used the equivalent of three million water bottles of recycled plastic for their bags’ outer fabric — with a variety of other important recycling strategies fully integrated into their business process.
Pacsafe
Pacsafe is yet another creative industry accessory brand hoping to pay it forward for the planet. The company has pledged to remove all virgin plastic from their supply chain by 2025. In the meantime, they’re also helping the planet via donations to important causes. For one, Pacsafe donates one percent of all website sales to turtle conservation. Funds to the Pacsafe Turtle Fund — launched in 2014 — have created a sea turtle rescue and education center that focuses on treating injured turtles while educating local communities.
Pacsafe is also collaborating with the Ecosystem Impact Foundation to preserve and protect some of the last remaining islands off the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Adding to its environmental goals, Pacsafe hosts beach clean-ups to raise awareness about the negative effects of single-use plastics as well.
Core SWX
At Adorama, you can now trade in your batteries for a coupon up to 25% off select Core SWX batteries. It’s as easy filling out this quick form describing your equipment. A customer service representative will then email you with a shipping label (to recycle your old battery) and a coupon code (for your new battery). This partnership between Adorama and Core SWX provides you with a great way to put your old batteries to good use — instead of throwing them out!
These are just a few of the many sustainable creative and tech companies that are doing their part for the increasingly threatened planet. Find more eco-friendly inspiration in our guide on how photographers can honor Earth Day, or our article detailing how to use your photography for good.
Another easy way to help the environment with your gear is to avoid tossing away old gear. It’s always more eco-friendly to trade in or sell used gear versus tossing it in a landfill. Read more on how to trade in or sell gear with Adorama.
