Making it Possible
At TDi Sustainability, we understand the unique challenges and possibilities of the electronics and technology sectors, as well as the industres’ constant tug-of-war between advancement and ecological responsibility.
Our expert team can help your business embed ethical sourcing, circularity, material innovation and social responsibility into the heart of your organisation’s practices through future-proof strategies that enable long-term sustainability.
Top Sustainability Trends for the Electronics and Tech Sectors
Today’s technology and electronics industries faces increased legislation and a demands to disclose ESG policies and commitments through reporting and auditing processes. Other key sustainability issues for these sectors include…
Waste, Circularity and Innovation
The industry is witnessing a push towards a more circular economy, aiming to ensure materials are reused, recycled, or biodegradable. Innovations explore the use of advanced materials to revolutionise the efficiency and performance of electronic components
Responsible Sourcing
Complex supply chains lack visibility. Inaccurate, misleading information and lack of sustainability data across the value chain lead to potential greenwashing claims, inadequate sustainability programs, and unmitigated risks across the value chain.
Carbon Emissions
The electronics industry is reported to be among the top eight sectors for GHG emissions, accounting for more than 50% of the global carbon footprint and responsible for 580 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2e emitted in 2020. This could increase to 852 MMT of CO2e annually by 2030 if left unchecked.
Labour Rights
Companies outsource their production processes in order to minimise cost, resulting in poor working conditions that violate health and safety standards, inadequate wages, trade union bans, abuse, harassment, and child labour.
Change in Action
Explore the Case Studies…
Microsoft
TDi worked with Microsoft on its responsible sourcing and due diligence practices, including creating material profiles for key input materials and creating a tool for supply chain risk and opportunity assessment. Microsoft has a large complex supply chain that reaches into countries and businesses over which it has little influence, and it sources conflict minerals for its products. The client wanted better to understand where its minerals are sourced, the associated risks, and the opportunities for improvement.
TTDi provided an extensive database of applicable voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), and wrote material profiles outlining various supply chain risks and opportunities for each. Additionally, TDi developed a bespoke automated system using a relational database application that allows Microsoft to assess and track supply chain risks of input materials and manage/respond to those risks with increased due diligence and/or assurance.
TDi also provided key information on the available and applicable VSS and characteristics, with clear guidance on opportunities to implement VSS in their supply chain. To complete the project, TDi created a streamlined approach to risk assessment within Microsoft’s supply chain, and to supplier management and compliance with the client’s responsible sourcing goals.
Dyson
Dyson has a large supply chain that reaches into countries and businesses over which it has little influence. TDi’s mandate was to enable the procurement, legal, sustainability and manufacturing teams to prioritise materials sourcing strategies and leave behind a practical tool that could be used by Dyson staff in their everyday responsibilities and tasks.
TDi developed a bespoke tool that allows Dyson’s procurement and sustainability functions to compare materials and commodities across a range of metrics relating to business significance, operational risk, environmental risk, social risk, governance risk, and compliance risk.
TDi also analysed over 40 commodities, materials and minerals using a combination of criteria arrived at by TDi’s expert staff and Dysons’ business priorities. The results was a final list of priority materials for the following three years, and a set of intervention strategies for each that set Dyson out as a responsible actor in its industry.
LeadBattery 360
The International Lead Association (ILA), Battery Council International (BCI), Association of European Automotive and Industrial Battery Manufacturers (EUROBAT) and the Association of Battery Recyclers (ABR) in the United States – associations representing the lead and lead battery industries – came to us with a problem that required a solution, a gap that needed filling.
That gap was the need for a method of ensuring that lead batteries meet the highest standards in raw materials and batteries sourcing, manufacturing, and recycling globally. Learn more…
Fairphone
Innovative electronics company Fairphone asked us to identify opportunities to improve the operating practices of the businesses in its minerals’ supply chains with an overarching goal of enhancing the lives of communities touched by the making of smartphones.
We began with an analysis of 38 of the materials in a smartphone, selected using a set of criteria based on Fairphone’s supply chain needs and our knowledge of mining, mineral processing and supply chain management. This allowed us to prioritise issues, geographies, metals and industry segments and then identify opportunities for intervention by Fairphone and its industry peers.
We combined that information with findings from Fairphone’s recycling and mining indicators and, from our original list of 38, prioritised the ten materials critical for smartphone functionality that are most used by the consumer electronics industry. The result is Fairphone’s Smartphone Material Profiles report which highlights the issues and opportunities for each material.
Learn more…
TDi’s Services Supporting the Electronics and Tech Sectors Include:
Audits, Assessments and Due Diligence
Our access to a global network of compliance professionals means we can cover all industries at all tiers of the value chain, from mine to retail. Learn more…
Supply Chain Mapping and Strategy Frameworks
Supply chain sourcing frameworks support organisations as they implement or improve the effectiveness of their due diligence across the value chain. Learn more…
ESG Risk Management
Our ESG Risk Management service provides tools and guidance for tracking, assessing and mitigating identified risks. Learn more…
Responsible Sourcing Research
Your customers, regulators, partners, investors and staff rightly want to know the who, what, why, where and when of the materials in your supply chain. Meeting those expectations requires global data gathering and incisive analysis. Learn more…
Human Rights Strategies and Impact Assessments
Leveraging our human rights strategies and human rights impact assessments (HRIAs), companies can ensure compliance with sustainable business regulations. Learn more…
Communication Strategies and Technical Writing
All our futures depend on understanding how change is possible. The TDi communications team is here to help you get that message across with real impact. Learn more…
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Your organisation is unique, and so are the sustainability solutions we provide at TDi Sustainability.
Get in touch to tell us where you are on your sustainability journey and what support you’re looking for next.
TDi services are bespoke and informed by in-depth relationships with our clients. Start the conversation today to learn how we can help with everything from immediate problem solving to future-proofing strategies that empower your organisation’s long-term sustainability.