Researchers Propose Solutions to the Growing Environmental Impact of Wearable Electronics

Researchers from the University of Chicago and Cornell University have dug deep into the sustainability issue surrounding wearable electronics for healthcare — and have come up with not only a way to quantify a device's likely environmental impact but some real-world ideas for reducing it.

"More than 70% of the carbon footprint of a device comes from the circuit boards," says co-corresponding author Bozhi Tian of the team's findings, which included estimates of warming impacts of 1.1–6.1kg CO₂-equivalent (CO₂e) per wearable medical device on average. "Really what we see is that when we are looking for solutions to sustainability, we have to consider all components together."

The team's research focused on electronic wearables designed for healthcare, including glucose monitors, ultrasound patches, and blood-pressure monitors, and projected a trend that will see demand for such devices approaching two billion units a year by 2050 — which, if the cradle-to-grave analysis of their environmental impact holds true, would lead to the generation of more than a million tons of electronic waste and 100 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e).

The team's biggest finding: it's the electronics themselves, rather than the rest of the device, which account for the bulk of this impact, with the circuit board and its components contributing some 70% of the overall environmental impact. A key recommendation, then: reuse, replacing outer casings and consumable sensors while leaving the bulk of the electronics intact.

While another obvious win would be a move away from petroleum-based plastics to biodegradable alternatives, the researchers warn that the impact may not be worth the cost — reducing, as it would, the environmental impact of the devices by a mere three percent, compared to 15% by having all manufacturing powered by renewable energy sources. An even better place for effort to be focused, they argue, is in moving away from precious and rare metals towards more common materials like copper and aluminum. "A lot of people assumed you would have to sacrifice performance if you use more reactive metals [for electronics]," Tian says, "but our analysis suggests it should be OK if you provide extra protection for the circuitry."

"As this transformative field accelerates, society still lacks a clear understanding of its full environmental implications," says first and co-corresponding author Chuanwang Yang of the team's findings. "Our work offers a systems engineering framework for many transformative technologies, from wearables to AI [Artificial Intelligence] and to robotics, so that technical innovation and environmental stewardship can advance together."

The team's work has been published in the journal Nature under closed-access terms.

Main article image courtesy of Freepik.com