The most sustainable electronic device may simply be the one a consumer already owns. That is the thinking driving the growing push to make electronics easier to repair, refurbish and reuse. Despite advances in recycling and take-back programs, repairability remains uneven across the electronics industry, with difficult-to-open products, unavailable spare parts and software restrictions often preventing straightforward repairs. 

Designing products to last 

According to Elizabeth Chamberlain, Director of Sustainability at iFixit, repairability is frequently overlooked during product development. “When product designers develop electronics, they’re often optimizing for thinness, manufacturing speed, waterproofing, proprietary supply chains, and rapid replacement cycles. Repair usually enters the conversation too late, if it enters at all,” she says. 

However, repairability is possible at scale. iFixit awarded the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 7 a near perfect repairability score, she adds, citing the ease of replacing its keyboard, battery and screen.  

Repairability scores can help consumers look beyond initial specifications. “Specs tell you how fast a device is on day one. Repair scores help tell you what happens on day 900, when the battery fades, the screen cracks, or one port stops working,” Chamberlain explains. Such scores also establish accountability by helping consumers, reviewers and regulators assess parts availability, repair documentation and software restrictions. 

Dell’s latest commercial notebooks, including its Pro and Pro Max series, incorporate modular engineering insights developed through its Concept Luna prototype. “We have drastically minimized manufacturing complexity by shrinking the size of mainboards, which frees up internal spacing and reduces carbon-intensive components,” states Alyson Freeman, Director - Data Center Sustainability at Dell.  

The devices also feature customer-replaceable batteries, simplified cable designs, screw-mounted USB-C ports that isolate common failure points, and internal QR codes linking directly to interactive repair guides. 

HP similarly integrates accessible components and modular design into its Designed for Circularity approach. According to Lavina Punjabi, Sustainability Lead MEA at HP, these features simplify disassembly, repair and upgrades, extending product lifespans and reducing e-waste and lowering hardware carbon emissions by up to 65%. 

Making repair accessible 

Even when devices are repairable, consumers may lack the confidence, tools or information to attempt a fix. iFixit identifies five common barriers: unavailable spare parts, inaccessible manuals, missing tools, excessive glue or soldering, and software restrictions that reject replacement components. 

The organisation also challenges the perception that repair is exclusively for technically skilled people. As Chamberlain puts it, “The hard part usually isn’t that consumers are incapable. It’s that manufacturers make the path harder than it needs to be.”  

HP supports repairs through self-service resources, digital diagnostic applications, official spare parts and authorised service centres, notes Punjabi.  

India offers another perspective. According to Pranshu Singhal, Founder, Karo Sambhav, repair has traditionally been widespread because labour costs are relatively low and local services are accessible. “India always has had multiple lifetimes of any product,” he says, contrasting this with shorter product lifecycles often seen in developed countries. 

Independent repair shops extend those lifetimes by salvaging functioning components from discarded devices for use in other repairs. Singhal stresses that independent repair should not be confused with illegal activity: many small businesses operate legitimately outside formal retail networks. However, access to parts and technical information remains challenging, particularly for less common products. As he explains, “if it’s an uncommon product, then it becomes a bit challenging to figure out where to get it repaired.” Better component availability, repair information and consumer awareness could strengthen these networks and support local businesses. 

The environmental case for extending product life 

“The greenest device is usually the one you already own,” notes Chamberlain. Mining and refining raw materials, manufacturing components, transporting parts and assembling finished products all consume resources and generate emissions. Repairing an existing device can avoid some of the environmental costs of manufacturing its replacement, she comments. 

The best data, in her view, is collected by the Restart Project that tracks the impact of its community repair workshops. It reports that its Restart Parties have prevented 3,818 tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions and 440 tonnes of waste. 

Refurbishment offers another way to extend product lifespans, particularly for businesses managing large IT fleets. Dell Asset Recovery Services provides a structured process for evaluating retired, multi-vendor hardware for component harvesting, refurbishment and resale. Organisations can recover value through cash or Dell credits, while equipment that cannot be reused enters certified recycling streams, returning materials such as aluminium, steel and cobalt to the production cycle, says Freeman. 

Similarly, HP’s IT Asset Disposition programme provides secure collection, data sanitisation and responsible processing, directing end-of-use devices towards refurbishment or recycling, says Punjabi. Through HOPE Recycling Futures, HP also collects, refurbishes and donates eligible computers to schools and non-profit organisations. However, she confirms that its certified refurbishment services (CLRP), are not yet available in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). 

Overcoming barriers to circular IT 

For enterprises, decisions about repair and refurbishment involve more than environmental considerations. Data security, operational complexity and the ability to demonstrate measurable benefits can all affect adoption. 

Freeman identifies these as significant barriers. “The industry is resolving these bottlenecks by embedding standardized, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-compliant data sanitisation and physical drive-shredding options into its asset-retrieval logistics.” Automated environmental impact reports also help organisations track carbon and landfill avoidance, providing measurable evidence to support lifecycle-extension strategies, she adds. 

Technology can make maintenance more proactive. In Freeman’s view, the deployment of smart component telemetry to monitor battery health and hardware degradation, allows businesses to plan repairs before components fail. “When paired with modular design breakthroughs, like separating high-wear power ports from the broader mainboard, the sector can significantly mitigate its reliance on newly mined resources.” 

HP sees similar potential in predictive analytics, remote diagnostics and decentralised regional repair centres, which can reduce shipping costs and associated emissions. Circular procurement networks can also recover recycled plastics, electronic components and precious metals from returned equipment, says Punjabi. 

These approaches demonstrate that circularity requires more than durable product design. Secure logistics, accessible repair networks, material recovery and transparent reporting must work together to make reuse commercially viable. 

Why policy matters 

Industry initiatives alone are unlikely to make repair and refurbishment scalable without supportive policies and enforcement. 

Punjabi argues that voluntary take-back schemes and recycling programmes are no longer sufficient. “To make repair and reuse scalable for IT products globally, international right-to-repair mandates, tax incentives for refurbished hardware, and standardized circularity metrics are needed.”  

Measures such as affordable repairs, long-term spare-part availability, extended warranties and access for independent repairers could strengthen repair networks. In her view, ecodesign standards promoting modular construction, easier battery replacements, and fewer glued components could further support longevity. Green Public Procurement policies favouring refurbished and remanufactured devices, could further stimulate demand. 

Chamberlain argues that safety and security concerns should not become blanket justifications for restricting repairs. She maintains that experience in jurisdictions with right-to-repair laws, including several US states and the European Union, has not supported widespread fears about the consequences of greater repair access. 

Her vision is for repair to become routine. “A truly repair-friendly ecosystem ten years from now would make repair boring, in the best possible way.” That means accessible manuals and parts, diagnostic tools for independent repairers, and repairability scores available before purchase. 

In India, Singhal highlights a different policy challenge: implementation. Under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, companies are responsible for meeting collection and recycling obligations for end-of-life products. However, frequent policy revisions, weak collection systems and inadequate enforcement could undermine progress. 

“What is required is more of evolution rather than rewriting the policy,” he argues. Singhal also distinguishes legitimate repair businesses from parts of the informal e-waste recycling sector operating outside regulatory frameworks. Formalisation remains difficult, partly because “many people are informal by choice”. Stable policies, stronger enforcement and support for legitimate repair networks are therefore essential. 

Making repair the norm 

Building a circular electronics economy requires manufacturers, consumers, repair businesses, governments and recycling networks to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible. This means designing devices for disassembly, maintaining access to spare parts and repair information, expanding refurbishment markets and establishing policies that reward longevity over hasty replacement. 

Established repair ecosystems, particularly in India, offer valuable foundations. The wider challenge is to make repair the first choice, refurbishment a trusted second life, and recycling the final step when products can no longer be used. 

For an industry built around technological development, making electronics last longer may prove to be one of its most significant sustainability innovations.