The News: In January 2024, I had a chance to talk extensively with Prakash Arunkundrum, Logitech’s Chief Operating Officer. At Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2024, hosted in the vibrant city of Barcelona, Prakash walked me through the details of Logitech’s most recent announcements regarding the company’s transition of its video collaboration portfolio that runs on the CollabOS operating system to what he called “next life” materials. Notably, Logitech is the first in its sector to undertake such a comprehensive commitment, setting a benchmark for others to follow. Read more on the Logitech website.
Logitech’s Leadership: Sustainability’s Role in Modern Meeting Rooms
Analyst Take: Inspired by Arunkundrum’s enthusiasm and passion regarding this transition to post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and lower-carbon materials, I was duty-bound to investigate the details of that announcement and Logitech’s larger story around sustainability. To say what I found to be ‘compelling’ is an understatement. Indeed, what I discovered was a well-orchestrated and holistic strategy that shows how Logitech is truly setting the standard for what can (and should) be done in delivering a sustainability initiative. One that I believe is setting a “north star” for the entirety of the workplace collaboration industry.
Logitech’s Pioneering Commitment to Sustainability
In the past few years, sustainability has transitioned from a buzzword to a fundamental pillar, crucial for long-term success and environmental stewardship. Driven by policies recently enacted in the EU, this shift toward eco-conscious practices has traversed the globe and is now becoming top of mind for many enterprises, affecting not only how they conduct their business but also with whom they buy and procure devices and services.
Scan the company’s 236-page FY23 Impact Report, and it becomes apparent how Logitech stands out among the workplace collaboration companies that have proactively addressed how their products and services align with this green revolution. Logitech started reporting on its sustainability progress annually in 2020 when it became the first consumer electronics company to label product packaging with carbon impact information. And, with the company’s 2024 announcement that Arunkundrum shared with me, Logitech has redefined video collaboration industry standards by embedding sustainability at the core of its product development.
What follows is a breakdown of key activities in the company’s end-to-end strategy.
Reduction in Carbon Emission: Logitech’s Own Environmental Milestones
Logitech’s sustainability journey is marked by significant progress toward reducing carbon emissions and embracing renewable energy. The company has impressively cut its global Scope 1 (emissions from what it directly produces) and Scope 2 (emissions from the energy it buys) emissions by over 55% since 2019. In 2021, Logitech achieved carbon neutrality.
Design for Sustainability: Great Products with Sustainability at Their Core
Carbon neutrality is complemented by Logitech’s Design for Sustainability (DfS) approach, which emphasizes product recyclability and supports a circular economy. This set of principles encompasses material choices and energy profiles of the devices while still delivering great customer satisfaction.
Products like the Rally Bar and Logitech Sight start by incorporating a minimum of 50% certified next-life plastic. Other choices include low-carbon aluminum, PVC-free cables, and responsibly designed packaging from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®)-certified forests and other controlled sources. Energy usage is improved through optimized printed circuit boards and Smart batteries designed for efficiency.
To confirm that recycled plastic resins have no impact on product performance, Logitech ensures that these devices go through the same robust performance and quality testing processes as other products. And, when these products enter their end of life, the same DfS principles that built the product ensure end-of-life recyclability of the materials in the devices, minimizing environmental impact.
Open-Source Sustainability: Sharing DfS Principles with the Industry
Here is where I find Logitech taking its DfS to an unprecedented level. Logitech is committing to share DfS principles, tools, and extensive knowledge on integrating sustainable materials into manufacturing processes with any organization in the consumer technology industry. This initiative is not just about enhancing Logitech’s own sustainability practices but is designed to catalyze industry-wide progress in carbon reduction. By offering these resources openly, Logitech aims to foster a collaborative environment where companies can learn from one another and collectively advance their sustainability efforts. The company believes that by sharing its insights and methodologies, it can stimulate a ripple effect, encouraging a broader adoption of sustainable practices across the industry.
Third-Party Accountability: Adherence to Global Sustainability Standards
Another area that I really found compelling is Logitech’s participation as a global citizen with international standards and initiatives. The company’s participation in the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) underscores its dedication to environmental stewardship and corporate responsibility. RBA is the world’s largest industry coalition dedicated to responsible business conduct in global supply chains. This organization helps to define codes of conduct for environmental, factory, labor, and mineral impacts created in the production of products and services.
Logitech is also part of the Science Based Targets initiative, a collaboration between the CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature. As one of more than 1,000 companies who have joined the initiative, Logitech has shown its support to set and meet science-based climate targets.
What I like about these few examples is how they show Logitech implementing sound sustainability practices as moderated by third parties, without much fanfare or pageantry. The company’s reward is in the outcomes.
Circularity: Logitech’s Innovative Collect-and-Recycle Program
Underpinning its sustainability ethos, Logitech has initiated a collect-and-recycle program that evolved from its consumer trade-in program to be more enterprise-oriented with its video conferencing equipment. This program, part of Logitech Select, encourages enterprises to responsibly dispose of or repurpose their old equipment, reinforcing the circular economy model.
What is remarkable about the program is that it extends the recycling service to products beyond Logitech’s own to include virtually any e-waste hardware that a Logitech Select customer may find at its end of life. The offering currently varies by region, as the program is in the early customer testing stage, but the gist is that Logitech arranges for pickup and responsible recycling and disposal of retired equipment.
Empowering Customers with Sustainability in Meeting Room Options
Logitech’s integration of sustainability into its business model and product portfolio sets a laudable precedent in the tech industry. By prioritizing environmental responsibility, Logitech not only enhances its corporate image but also contributes significantly to global sustainability efforts.
For enterprises aiming to align their operational practices with sustainability goals, Logitech offers a compelling proposition. Enterprises partnering with Logitech can align their technology investments with their environmental values, fostering a greener, more sustainable future.
Disclosure: This article is sponsored by Logitech.
The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
Other Insights from The Futurum Group:
Logitech’s Robust Approach to Sustainability
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Author Information
As Practice Lead - Workplace Collaboration, Craig focuses on developing research, publications and insights that clarify how the workforce, the workplace, and the workflows enable group collaboration and communication. He provides research and analysis related to market sizing and forecasts, product and service evaluations, market trends, and end-user and buyer expectations. In addition to following the technology, Craig also studies the human elements of work - organizing his findings into the workforce, the workplace, and the workflows – and charting how these variables influence technologies and business strategies.
Prior to joining Wainhouse, now a part of The Futurum Group, Craig brings twenty years of experience in leadership roles related to P&L management, product development, strategic planning, and business development of security, SaaS, and unified communication offerings. Craig's experience includes positions at Poly, Dell, Microsoft, and IBM.
Craig holds a Master of Business Administration from the Texas McCombs School of Business as well as a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Tulane University.
