Good for Schools, Good for the Planet: 5 Keys to Edtech Sustainability

1. Design

The planet wins when we approach design as a chance to produce less waste and extend the life of a product. Often, the biggest opportunities to reduce environmental impact arise early in the design process. For example, the Logitech Zone Learn Wired Headset has replaceable and repairable cords and ear pads that lets schools keep damaged headsets they might otherwise have to throw away. With 31% of school-purchased headsets ending up in landfills annually, this one design choice can have a huge effect over time. Logitech Ed Council Survey. 18 ITDM and teacher respondents. Weighted for school size.

It’s the same with the Rugged Combo 4 Keyboard Case for iPad. The modular, detachable spine and replaceable keyboard allows educators to purchase only the part they need. Along with the military-grade drop protection and overall durability, this feature maximizes schools’ investments and creates a far more sustainable solution. 

Designing for sustainability throughout our products means that schools can outfit entire classrooms with tech that not only supports students but also supports the environment.

2. Supply Chain

We make sweeping efforts to transition our manufacturing and supply chain away from fossil fuels to embrace renewable energy. Logitech was recognized for addressing climate change within the supply chain by ranking in the top 8% of companies on the annual CDP Supplier Engagement Leaderboard. In 2013, we set a goal to reduce the carbon footprint of our production facility by 20% by 2018. When we hit this target, we went further, committing to use 100% renewable energy and to address 100% of residual emissions through high-quality certified offsets. 

Our support of carbon offsetting and carbon removal projects is additional to our absolute reduction targets. We purchase carbon offsets to maintain carbon neutrality across our corporate activity, and by 2030, we'll transition away from offsetting to only invest in carbon removal, removing more carbon than we create. 

3. Business Model

Sustainability starts with leadership priorities and business models. In 2020, we became the first consumer electronics company to place detailed carbon impact labels on our products, with a commitment to do this across our entire portfolio. We know that measuring and fully understanding our carbon footprint is the first step to managing that impact. And it’s important to us to be clear with everyone about how our emissions are generated and share ways in which we are working to further reduce them. We want to help customers make more informed purchase decisions and move edtech toward Carbon Clarity. 42% of Logitech products shipped in 2022 had a carbon impact study compared to 17% in 2021.Logitech. FY23 Impact Report. (2023). https://www.logitech.com/content/dam/logitech/en/sustainability/pdf/resources/fy23-impact-report.pdf

4. Circularity: Recycling and Product Lifecycle

We try to reduce waste and extend the life of products, components and materials. We want to empower educators and students with simple and convenient ways to give tech parts and products a next life and contribute to a more circular world. We make our products more environmentally circular by using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic to give a second life to end-of-life plastic and reduce our carbon footprint. 2 in 3 of our products are made with recycled plastic, including top-selling solutions for mice, keyboards, and webcams.

Since 2017, we’ve been working with plastic suppliers to design new and stronger recycled plastic resins in more than 40 colors. These colors are shared with our industry at large, meaning more options for students and educators and a lower overall environmental impact. While working with recyclers who transform end-of-life electronics into recycled plastic, we also encourage and finance consumer recycling of electronics around the world.

5. Packaging

Alongside our carbon clarity pledge, we have a goal of responsible packaging. We continually refine the design of our packaging to minimize environmental impact by reducing weight, maximizing use of renewable resources, and ensuring recyclability. Over 50% of our new products and 11% of all our products have FSCTM-certified packaging.This initiative not only supports the transition away from single-use plastic packaging but ensures paper packaging comes from responsibly managed sources.