According to a new report from Juniper Research, the smartphone industry has the opportunity to save 30 million tonnes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next five years by targeting the largest sources within its supply chain activities, most notably component manufacturing.
The “Green Handset & Tablet” report estimates that supply chain activities like raw material extraction, component manufacturing, device assembly and transportation result in twice as much GHG emissions per smartphone, in comparison with other handsets. And with these devices proving more popular with consumers, vendors are faced with a serious challenge to their green credentials, namely how to make devices smarter AND sustainable.
Some other findings from the report include:
- Green handset shipments will reach 392 million by 2017, which is ten times the number Juniper expects to be shipped in 2012.
- Mobile network operators can play a crucial role as green champions due to their unique customer-facing position.
- Since smart devices take advantage of cloud-based services, vendors should consider the impact of data centres as part of the impact of smartphones and tablets.
As usual, you can get additional information on Juniper’s report from their website.