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Post-pandemic thinking has prompted a renewed national and global focus on the transition to sustainability in education. Educational institutions and IT manufacturers are genuinely committed to changing their organisations’ practices to ensure they adhere to the goal of a net zero future.
As a result, this report has been created to review sustainability initiatives within the education sector and explore the drivers and barriers to adoption. It also outlines the sustainability initiatives of leading PC OEMs and the attitudes towards eco practices among K-12 and higher education IT decision-makers.
This report provides a strategic framework for any enterprise wanting to explore green schools, and sustainability in educational technology for positive long-term environmental, social and economic outcomes.
According to industry estimates, the IT sector is responsible for up to 2% of greenhouse gases worldwide, which is equal to that emitted by the entire global aviation industry. Over 160 million new laptops are produced every year, and 160,000 are disposed of every day in the EU alone. 70% of those laptops could be reused.
As environmental awareness grows, the adoption of sustainable practices in the education sector continues to gain traction. Barriers cited in recent years, such as budget constraints, are being quashed by the increasingly loud voices of lobby groups, which is prompting government bodies, and even students, to force institutions to take responsibility. However, this is causing the IT supply chain to revise its business strategies, particularly for this budget-conscious vertical.
Reducing e-waste forms the core of education for sustainability, and maximising the lifespan of computing devices through the adoption of eco-design protocols is integral to achieving this goal. In the mid-term, Futuresource expects continued refinement of Department of Education climate change strategies across Northern America and Europe. These will cover a wide range of areas, from climate education to EdTech procurement and supply chains.
In addition, as the field of material science advances, sustainable technologies will achieve cost parity with non-sustainable products. As a result, price will no longer be an obstacle when choosing devices, as sustainable educational tools will be more budget-friendly by design.
| Comprehensive PDF report
| Executive summary
| Key sustainability themes in education
| Installed base analysis
| Sustainability labels, certifications and standards
| Sustainable procurement
| Reducing e-waste: repair, reuse, refurbishment and recycling
| OEMs’ device sustainability initiatives overview
| Sustainability agenda across K-12 and higher education
| K-12 school feedback
| Higher education institutional feedback
| Key EU and other regional sustainability initiatives
| About Futuresource Consulting
| Sustainability in education, reviewing global developments and expectations from educational institutions and PC OEMs
| The global K 12 and higher education PC installed base between 2019 and 2028, by device type
| K-12 devices include notebooks, Chromebooks, netbooks and tablets
| Higher education devices include notebooks, Chromebooks, tablets and desktops
| BYOD devices are not included
| Analysis and review of sustainability initiatives in K-12 and higher education, to assess the current situation and outline future trends
| Analysis of the main device sustainability labels and standards, to evaluate demands and expectations from green PCs and other IT equipment
| E-waste, repair, reuse and recycling, to review current challenges and potential solutions to device churn in education
| Product, technology and competitive review, to identify and interpret key market developments and trends
| Institutional feedback from universities and K-12 schools, to understand the needs of educational institutions and their progress on the sustainability journey
Futuresource has been tracking, researching and consulting on the global education technology market for more than 20 years. However, since 2020, the pandemic has placed a spotlight on EdTech and the role it has played in keeping children educated, and Futuresource’s reporting has been ramped up accordingly. Any enterprise operating within the EdTech sector that wants to understand the future role of sustainability will benefit from this report, particularly:
| Manufacturers and their suppliers
| Resellers and VARs
| Intermediaries and supply chain
| Network and infrastructure providers
| EdTech market strategists, marketing and sales professionals
| Investors
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