The environmental cost of wearable health devices

As technology companies gather at the Consumer Electronics Show, an annual tech trade show (CES 2026), to unveil their latest devices, new academic research highlights the long-term environmental cost of the sector. A study from Cornell University and the University of Chicago warns that the rapid growth of wearable health devices is projected to create a significant environmental burden. According to the researchers, annual demand for health wearables could reach 2 billion units per year by 2050. This projected figure represents an increase of 42 times more than today. Unless manufacturing processes change, the study warns that these devices could generate over a million tons of electronic waste and 100 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2050.

The environmental footprint of these devices is not distributed evenly across their components. While consumer attention often lands on external materials like plastics, the study identifies internal electronics as the primary driver of the environmental impact. The research, which was published in Nature, asserts that the printed circuit board—the central component of electronic devices—accounts for 70% of a device’s carbon footprint. This high percentage is due to the intensive mining and manufacturing processes required to produce the boards, making them the most carbon-heavy part of the hardware.

To mitigate these environmental impacts, the researchers propose shifting to modular designs and alternative materials. They suggest developing chips using common metals like copper instead of rare minerals like gold, and designing devices so that the central circuit board can be reused while the outer covering gets replaced. The study emphasizes that as these devices reach global scale, small design choices will have compounding effects. As one of the study’s co-authors noted, “When these devices are deployed at global scale, small design choices add up quickly.”

Why it matters

The rapid proliferation of health wearables presents a significant, often overlooked environmental challenge that will require fundamental shifts in manufacturing and design to mitigate.