Wearable health devices could generate a million tons of e-waste by 2050

A recent study from Cornell University and the University of Chicago highlights a looming environmental challenge posed by the rapid growth of wearable health devices such as glucose monitors, blood pressure trackers, and fitness trackers. By 2050, global demand for these devices could reach 2 billion units annually—42 times the current volume—potentially generating over a million tons of electronic waste and 100 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions if manufacturing practices remain unchanged. This surge in e-waste and emissions underscores the significant environmental footprint of these increasingly popular gadgets. The study, published in Nature, reveals that the primary environmental impact comes not from the plastic components but from the printed circuit boards (PCBs), which constitute about 70% of the carbon footprint due to the intensive mining and manufacturing of rare minerals used in their production. To mitigate this, researchers recommend two key strategies: designing chips with more common metals like copper instead of rare minerals such as gold, and creating modular devices that allow reuse of the circuit boards while replacing only