Presentation on sustainable handheld devices, their opportunities and their challenges.

1. Sustainable phones
Possibilities vs. Challenges
Roger Puks, Kärt Ots, Alise Semjonova, Heidi Taperson

2. HYPOTHETICAL REUSABLE PHONE

3. The Pros
• The problem of sustainable mobile devices is
still very topical
• Most parameters are user-motivation driven
• Using lead-free solders on circuit boards could
prove to be more ecological (health-wise)

4. The Cons
• The materials used don’t support long-term
usage and sustainability
– Recycled plastic instead of metal or other long-lasting
materials
– Lead-free solders instead of led/tin based solders
– All this for a higher initial price

5. PHONEBLOCKS

6. The Pros
• Innovative yet reusable
• Highly disposable (parts can be replaced with
relative ease)
• Parts may be shared with other users
• High level of customization

7. The Cons
• Blocks are probably not salvageable (need
replacing in case of breaking)
• Not made of recycled materials
• Too much focus on sustainability and eco-friendliness
instead of UX or visual design

8. How to improve Phoneblocks?
• Focus more on visual design
• Ensure the reusability of the blocks so that
they won’t wear out after being disconnected
a few times
• Discourage users from constantly buying new
blocks
• Devices should keep their performance levels
up even after connecting multiple blocks that
require more resources