Electronics are far behind other sustainable movements. Their complex international supply chains are full of hidden problems that are not easy to change. To investigate and fix their supply chains, we are focusing on a product with a simpler supply chain: a USB cable. With that, we can finally bring momentum to fair and sustainable electronics.
Solving complicated problems with something simple
The complexity of international electronics supply chains is the main reason why fair and sustainable electronics are lagging far behind other sustainable product movements.
When we started Syllucid, we knew this was going to be a challenge. To make any product fair and sustainable you have to look at how it’s made and then eventually improve the process. For fair jeans for instance, that would be to look at a cotton farm and a manufacturing plant and for a fair fruit you simply go to the plantation of that fruit.
For electronics, it is not that simple. In order to assemble a product like a laptop, you need thousands of suppliers to deliver individual components. These suppliers have their own suppliers and sub-suppliers who source raw materials from all over the world. To even get an overview of what is not fair can be very challenging.
For startups, the new business ventures that have championed sustainability and fairness in other industries, that is a major headache. A substantial amount of expertise, time, and resources are needed to tackle the issues that the electronics industry faces.
To tackle this problem, we decided to focus on electronic products with less complex supply chains: electronic accessories. This means that we can research problems better, work with partners to fix them, and scale the learnings to other products.
We are starting with probably the least complex of them: a USB cable. USB cables have fewer suppliers and individual components (than laptops or phones for instance).
Powering a better future
Starting with fair and sustainable USB cables like the Syllucid Charge and The Syllucid Origin we are filling the gap for fair and sustainable electronics.
Currently, the mass of electronic consumer goods is putting pressure on our planet for example the impact of metal mining on biodiversity, deforestation, toxic waste and CO2 emissions.
With your support, we can create real change in the electronics industry, showing that fair and sustainable electronics can become mainstream. Just like fair and sustainable food and clothing already are. USB charging cables are now essential for our daily lives, and there is a good chance you, or someone you know, needs one.
You can help us to drive this project forward, sign up to our newsletter, tell a friend, or check out our store.
