Why Logitech puts a carbon footprint label on every product

Computer-accessories maker Logitech has cut greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain and other indirect sources by one-third since 2021.

That means the Swiss company is more than halfway toward its commitment to halve that part of its footprint by 2030, according to its 2026 impact report, published July 21.

Logitech also reduced emissions from its direct operations and purchased electricity by 49 percent against a 2019 baseline, as of fiscal year 2026; its pledge is for an 85 percent reduction by 2030, the report said.

These achievements were enabled by Logitech’s decision to study the carbon impact of every product and to include sustainability metrics in design decisions, as part of a long-time initiative it calls Design for Sustainability that was more formally codified over the past four years. 

The philosophy applies to materials choices, manufacturing processes and supplier relationships for all of Logitech’s products, which include computer mice, game controllers, headsets, cameras and videoconferencing equipment.

Logitech built a library of related resources from its emissions-reduction projects, including simulation tools to be used in the brainstorming and prototyping phases, according to Elaine Laird, Logitech’s chief people executive, who was named chief sustainability officer this week.

“We’ve gone from having one engineer working on an isolated project to having a design-for-sustainability engineer that works on every product inside our business groups and works with the engineers and designers on a continuous basis on new product development,” she said.

Latest tool: carbon impact labels

Logitech’s decision in 2020 to calculate the emissions for its entire product portfolio — a metric verified by an independent auditor — provides designers with insights that they can use for future updates. 

The assessment considers raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, packaging, energy use and what happens at the end of a product’s life, among other factors. The score, expressed as kilograms of carbon emission equivalent (kg CO2e), is printed on Logitech’s packaging. 

For example, the footprint for the Logitech MX Master 3S mouse is 7.78 kg CO2e; for perspective, charging a smartphone 608 times produces emissions of 5 kg CO2e.

Logitech developed its own methodology to create its labels; measurement company Dekra reviews the math, using the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 14067 standard, which covers life-cycle footprints for individual products.

“It forces you to innovate in a different way,” said Laird. “I do believe there’s business value in that.”

Logitech’s designers can compare footprints from generation to generation and use information from other products to inform their decisions.

“The learnings we got from each one of our products having a carbon footprint study done, in depth, really has helped us figure out where to look to further decrease our carbon footprints,” Laird said. “We still believe consumers need to transparently understand the carbon impact of the purchases they make.”  

For example, the current generation of Logitech’s solar-powered keyboard has half the footprint of its predecessor because it includes post-consumer recycled plastic, the aluminum was manufactured using renewable electricity and the rechargeable battery life was extended to 10 years. Plus, the keyboard can be repaired.

Logitech is using typical product update cycles to determine how the next generation can contribute to corporate sustainability goals: It estimated that those decisions helped avoid more than 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2026. 

More than 80 percent of its products, for example, now include recycled plastic; 43 percent use low-carbon or recycled aluminum. And Logitech has published repair guides for close to 70 of its products, tripling the number from two years ago.Range of benefits

Sustainability-inspired design decisions offer myriad advantages, Laird said. The replaceable ear cushions and head strap in the Zone Wireless 2 ES Headset help cut the product’s carbon footprint by 12 percent compared to its predecessor; they also allow for customization.

Likewise, an interest in reducing power consumption led the designers behind Logitech’s RS50 Racing Wheel System game controller to rethink the motor design, resulting in performance improvements. 

They considered how changing the copper and magnets used in the device would affect torque and optimized the sleep mode to save more energy when the technology is idle. Logitech estimates these changes helped reduce the emissions impact by 43 percent.

One of the best proof points for Logitech’s Design for Sustainability agenda was the company’s replacement of all plastic clamshell packaging for its retail mouse products with paper boxes certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

The move saved 580 metric tons of plastic — 33 million single-use plastic water bottles — but concerned Logitech marketers, who worried that consumers wouldn’t be able to see the devices and with retailers that needed to redesign shelf space.

“What we found is that, actually, consumers kind of prefer it because those clamshells are kind of tricky to open,” she said.