Verifying Environmental Sustainability in the Electronics Marketplace

The Drive for Sustainable Electronic Products

The sale of electronic products has grown exponentially over the past decade. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that the number of electronic products sold annually in the U.S. doubled in just a little over 10 years to nearly 450 million units annually.2 In large part, this growth is being driven by a nine-fold increase in the sale of mobile devices. However, it’s also being driven by a continuous stream of new and innovative electronic devices offering increased functionality and ease of use. According to one estimate, the average American household now owns about 24 different electronic products.3