ChromeOS Sustainability
Research Findings Report
Prepared by Article Group for Sahar Golestani, Jui Tamhane, Morgan Weisman, and Nick Sexton
June 2020
Contents
Project overview�Approach
Defining “sustainability attributes”
Implications�Recommendations
Appendix
Research
overview
In early 2020, Article Group partnered with Google Chrome Product Marketing teams (Enterprise, Education, and Consumer) to explore, identify, and quantify information to create a credible, meaningful sustainability story about Chrome OS and Chromebooks.
We looked at Chrome OS at the software level and sought to ground potential claims through interaction with Chromebook hardware, considering both current and future-focused initiatives as we developed an initial point of view.
This deck is a summary of the full report and includes a description of our inputs, key attributes we see emerging as the best candidates for a Chrome OS sustainability narrative, a discussion of how best to substantiate those attributes, and our recommendations on the overall strengths and weaknesses of the narrative.
Approach
Hypothesis
First, our discovery work and messaging audit helped illuminate the sustainable consumer tech landscape.
Then our guiding hypothesis focused stakeholder and SME interviews so we could identify fact-based sustainable qualities and categorize key benefits for organizations.
Finally, we surfaced what we think are Chromebooks’ most compelling sustainability attributes.
“Chrome OS is a force multiplier for the sustainability of an organization or institution that adopts at scale.”
Defining “sustainability attributes”
“Sustainability attributes” are qualities of Chrome OS that directly influence the sustainable impact derived from deploying Chromebooks.
We treated potential attributes as “leads” and explored each one with expert stakeholders to understand their viability as proof points for sustainability messages—both in the near term and the future.
The root source of market-facing sustainability messages
Defining sustainability attributes
These are fact-based proof points—not market-facing messages. We see them as raw materials to support the messaging that will extend from this effort.
The prolonged life cycle of the overall device, including battery and inner components, as a result of continuous optimization via AUE
The ability to share devices without data risk, resulting in fewer resources used and lower equipment/IT management costs
Efficient charging, super-low power load states, and optimized device performance over time with AUE, unlike competitor devices that compromise performance over time
Chromebooks are anchored to a carbon-neutral cloud infrastructure, resulting in lower overall device carbon footprint and lighter-duty energy dependency
Reduced consumption and sharing economy due to flexible use case scenarios and 2-in-1 functionality, which can ultimately lower IT management and energy expenses
Longevity
Secure shareability
Energy efficiency
Carbon-neutral cloud
Versatility
*Whereas competitor devices compromise performance over time
Longevity: proof points
Key supporting facts
Definition
Chrome OS devices have a longer useful life than competing devices due to a prolonged battery and component life cycles, as well as continuous optimization via AUE
Longevity: open questions
Failure rates
Is there data on Chromebook failure rates for each context (Enterprise, Edu, Consumer)?
Use Case Scenarios
Is there data showing device lifespan in an Enterprise context?
Component lifespan
How does longevity correlate with modular qualities like battery swap and repariable mods?
Processor impact
Does Intel have any data on processor/battery interaction for Chromebooks and competitive models �(i.e. Dell)?
Reseller transaction data
Does Promevo have data on the ratio of Chrome OS devices returned as credit toward newer Chrome OS devices?
To further substantiate, we want to know more about:
Secure shareability: proof points
Key supporting facts
Definition
More individuals can share one device without risking data breach, resulting in fewer devices and resources used and lower equipment and IT management costs for organizations
Secure shareability: open questions
To further substantiate, we want to know more about:
Sharing economy
Is there data proving secure shareability results in the 1.5 user average per Chromebook in an Enterprise context?
Security
How does Google ensure total erasure for secure share/recycling (feature shipping 2020/2021)?
Energy efficiency: proof points
Key supporting facts
*Field tests conducted in business conditions in the UK
Definition
Chrome OS’ power management capabilities offer efficient charging, super-low power load states, and optimized device performance over time with AUE, unlike competitor devices that compromise performance over time.
Energy efficiency: open questions
To further substantiate, we want to know more about:
HP sustainability narratives
Can we access EPEAT Silver and Gold stories across the HP Chromebook lineup (bill of materials, eco profiles, and product specs), especially the Elite C1030?
Power efficiency
How does adaptive light control and smart dimming save power or improve charging efficiency compared to competitive models?
How does crash rate improvement effect power efficiency?
Reseller sales data
Do Promevo clients purchase devices based on Energy Star and EPEAT labelling?
*Field tests conducted in business conditions in the UK
Carbon-neutral cloud: proof points
Key supporting facts
Definition
Chromebooks are all connected to a cloud infrastructure, resulting in lower overall device carbon footprint and lighter-duty energy dependency
Carbon-neutral: open questions
To further substantiate, we want to know more about:
Carbon negativity
Does Google plan to extend carbon-neutrality or develop carbon negativity goals in the future?
Versatility: proof points
Key supporting facts
Definition
2-in-1 Chromebook functionality promotes a variety of adaptable use case scenarios that can reduce consumption, promote sharing, and ultimately lower IT management and energy costs.
Versatility: questions
To further substantiate, we want to know more about:
Model popularity
Is there proof beyond word showing 2-in-1 Chromebooks outsell traditional tent-style laptops?
Economy of sale
Does versatility drive down the number of Chromebooks purchased at scale, due to features like Kiosk Mode, Grab and Go, Cart Sharing (edu)?
Implications
Taking full advantage of these opportunities requires additional efforts to support claims and investment in stronger sustainability infrastructure.
Annual energy use, energy cost estimates, and power loads per mode are competitively lower in Chromebooks used in a business setting as a result of cloud-first basis and lighter demands on device hardware.
Google does not require OEMs to enforce sustainable practices beyond regulatory or voluntary efforts. OEMs have what, to date, seems like a limited product takeback infrastructure for Chromebooks while “Made by Google” guidelines exclude Chromebooks altogether.
Energy efficiency is the key attribute
OEMs are a blocker for achieving a closed loop system
Sustainable materials and eco-friendly packaging are not strong differentiators
These factors are dependent on OEM cooperation, despite being low hanging fruit for consumers. They also appeal more strongly to consumers than ITDMs, who value benefits like longevity, repairability, and versatility.
Recommendations
1
2
3
Follow up with internal and external stakeholder conversations to answer open questions and gather information to substantiate potential claims.
Further exploration with the Power Team is needed to substantiate energy efficiency as a lead attribute. Explore future strategic partnership with PX3 and investigate how to leverage the next Chrome OS launch with Justin Sutton-Parker’s research findings (specifically experiments 1 and 2) which he will be present at the 10th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Information Technology on August 9-12, 2020, in Leuven, Belgium.
Prioritize energy efficiency as the strongest attribute and lead with simple sustainability language that emphasizes what ITDMs care about: cost savings. The inherent value of Chromebooks at scale is best expressed through relatable benefits like lower energy use, durability, repairability, ethical material sourcing, and responsible end-of-life processes. Topics like “software sustainability” and “digital pollution” are not yet widely understood or standardized.
Identify 3-5 hero devices for 2020 to complete the sustainability analysis. Device level information is critical to analyzing and communicating energy, material, and fleet management efficiencies.
Executive summary references
Sources directly referenced in this document
1 Hampton, Brandon. (June 11, 2020) Personal interview.
2 Huffman, K. Blair. (March 13, 2020) Personal interview.
3 Puente, Jill. (March 12, 2020) Personal interview.
4 Kumar, Puneet. (March 24, 2020) Personal interview.
5 Puente, Jill. (March 12, 2020) Personal interview.
6 Loughey, John. (March 15, 2020) Personal interview.
7 Puente, Jill. (March 12, 2020) Personal interview.
8 Huffman, K. Blair. (March 13, 2020) Personal interview.
9 Ibid
10 Ibid
11 Chaudhary, Atef. (March 13, 2020) Personal interview.
12 Kumar, Puneet. (March 24, 2020) Personal interview.
13 Hampton, Brandon. (June 11, 2020) Personal interview.
14 Chrome Marketing OS team
15 Sutton-Parker,
16 Sutton-Parker, Justin. PX3 Presentation. Px3. Accessed 2020. www.px3.org.uk.
17 Chaudhary, Atef. (March 13, 2020) Personal interview.
18 Kumar, Puneet. (March 24, 2020) Personal interview.
19 Ibid
20 Sutton-Parker, Justin. “Abating end user computing device Scope 2 GHG emissions with accurate use phase energy consumption measurement”. The 10th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Information Technology (SEIT). Accessed 2020 by JSP permission.
Executive summary references
Sources directly referenced in this document
21 Meegan, Anna. (March 23, 2020) Personal interview.
22 Kumar, Puneet. (March 24, 2020) Personal interview.
23 Chaudhary, Atef. (March 13, 2020) Personal interview.
24 Chuaprasert, Michelle. (March 15, 2020) Personal interview.
25 2019 Environmental Report. Google.
26 Ibid
27 Puente, Jill. (March 12, 2020) Personal interview.
28 “100 percent renewable energy for the second year in a row.”
29 “100% renewable is just the beginning”
30 Kumar, Puneet. (March 24, 2020) Personal interview.
31 Chaudhary, Atef. (March 13, 2020) Personal interview.
32 Ibid
33 Puente, Jill. (March 12, 2020) Personal interview.
34 Huffman, K. Blair. (March 13, 2020) Personal interview.
35 Hampton, Brandon. (June 11, 2020) Personal interview.
36 Ibid
37 Huffman, K. Blair. (March 13, 2020) Personal interview.
Thank you
Appendix
Appendix A
Full list of sources used in this research
Internal Sources
Full list of internal materials reviewed for desk research
Internal interviews
Chrome OS product team
Director, product engineering | Discussion focused on how product engineering contributes to sustainability. Also showed that continuous improvements to UX create incentive to hold onto hardware even beyond AUE. | |
Product manager, Chrome OS | This conversation revealed some differentiators, including: energy efficiency (fast boot, low power states, power improvements over device life) versatility (multi-profile UX “all-in-one”/2-in-1), secure shareability, and durability. | |
Associate product manager | This interview served to affirm our hypothesis in terms of how AUEs uniquely support ongoing improvements to sustainable aspects of Chromebooks, including power efficiency and management, durability, and versatility. |
Internal interviews
CSR/core sustainability SMEs
Sustainability marketing lead | Puente was key in developing the current sustainability messaging. She provided lots of ideas for potential efforts, and explained that Chromebooks have made progress in hardware and packaging but are still only in the “middle of the pack.” | |
Head of Sustainability, Google hardware | Meegan’s interview led us to further examine the carbon-neutral cloud as a proof point. She also covered carbon-neutral shipping and outsourced renewable energy. | |
Lead for CSR & Supply Chain Sustainability | Speta affirmed that product engineers are working on more energy efficient code for software. We hit a lot of dead ends here because she doesn’t have visibility into OEMs or anything really beyond Pixelbook—from which Chromebooks are vastly different. |
External Sources
Selected materials reviewed for desk research
Competitive
Studies on Chromebooks
External Sources
Selected materials reviewed for desk research
External Sources
Selected materials reviewed for desk research
External Sources
Selected materials reviewed for desk research
External interviews
Alex Thatcher, Jessica Cespedes, Nicola Liu, Scarlett Liu, Jacqueline Delara | HP Chromebook team | Longevity was identified as a key quality of HP Chromebooks. The EliteBook C1030 for Enterprise achieved EPEAT Gold and was suggested as a hero product for sustainability. |
Michelle Chuaprasert, Caroline Fosters, John Loughney et. al. | Intel Chromebook Team and Sustainability SMEs | This interview was a presentation by the Intel team on their sustainability goals, efforts, and mission. High-performance Chromebook CPU affirmed energy savings. |
Promevo Director of Global Partnerships & Alliances | This discussion explored recycling programs and device distribution. We learned that enterprise clients see more value in keeping Chromebook for 8+ years whereas competitor devices last 2-3 years. | |
PX3/Citrix Director of Northern Europe | Sutton-Parker’s research shows that Energy Star lab standards are not right for business use case. His tests prove that Chromebooks are often the most energy efficient products competing on the laptop/tablet market. |
Appendix B
Competitive messaging around sustainable laptop and tablet devices
Overview
As a component of a broader project to develop a sustainability message for Chrome OS in 2020, Article Group conducted a messaging audit designed to illuminate how key competitors approach sustainability.
We examined direct competitors’ content and messaging by categorizing and enumerating topics and product attributes. Then, we were able to make observations by looking at the data.
For each competitor, we considered:
Brands explored
Google OEMs explored
Source: Article Group
Foundational terminology
Sustainability
The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance
Renewable Energy
Sourced from a natural input (e.g., sun, wind, water) or process that is constantly replenished. Also referred to as “clean energy.”
Circular Economy
Seeks to design business and economic systems around ideas of regenerative and restorative systems found in nature
Energy Efficiency
Reducing energy use (and therefore energy waste) to perform each task, especially in the form of heat loss
Carbon Footprint
The sum of all the different greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions that contribute to global warming
Sustainability has a dense vocabulary and the meaning of certain terms is not broadly understood. Below are several key terms that will be useful in understanding this document.
See our complete glossary of terms for more.
Source: Article Group
Key takeaways
The sustainable tech messaging space has not yet united around a consistent set of measures. But that hasn’t stopped competitors from aggressively positioning themselves as leaders.
Tech sustainability has a steep learning curve
Messaging uses technical language and jargon in all forms of outward communication facing ITDMs and consumers alike.
Everyone wants to lead the charge and be the hero
Core messaging themes are centered around authority, with key phrases including “raising the bar,” “leadership,” and “new standards” as focal points for sustainability.
Sustainability content �is abundant
The majority of Google’s and competitors’ sustainability-related content shows up as corporate responsibility landing pages, decks, and annual �compliance reports.
Software and �the Cloud are emerging contexts
No one is talking about software and sustainability—yet. But awareness of the Cloud and data center energy use is growing.
Carbon �negativity is the next trend
Investors are pushing for companies to address sustainability risk. Carbon neutral offices and data centers are good, but not enough.
Source: Article Group
36
Brand | Core Positioning | Key Messaging | Top Themes |
| “Building sustainability in everything we do” | -Understanding the planet�-Make things better �-Raise the bar | -Smart materials use�-Ethical standards -Include everyone (i.e. suppliers) |
| “Low impact. The new standard of high performance.” | -Low impact�-Built to last�-Creating a new standard | -Energy and materials efficiency�-Ethical sourcing�-Stewardship |
| “Empowering a modern, sustainable workplace” | -Demonstrate responsibility -Sourced ethically -Leadership | -Clean conscience�-Drive global change�-Empowering the modern sustainable workplace |
| “Committed to building a more sustainable future for all” | -Protecting our planet -Enabling the next generation of trailblazers | -Environment as stakeholder, -Clean and renewable energy -Reducing carbon emissions in the Cloud |
Competitive messaging summary
Source: Article Group
OEM sustainability messaging summary
Brand | Core Positioning | Key Messaging | Top Themes |
| “Make the world a better place” | -Reduce impact of products and operations -Achieve balanced environmental development -Provide safe products and services | -Reducing carbon emissions -Expanding green energy -Reducing water consumption |
| “Strive to be among the world-class green high-tech leaders and to provide valuable contributions to humanity” | -Identify climate risk and opportunity -Expand existing sustainability strategies -Cooperate with value chain partners | -Product stewardship -Operational footprint -Product environmental info |
| “Advancing sustainability at the heart of everything we do” | -Accelerate the circular economy -Protect our planet and collaborate with customers and partners do do the same -Champion the people who build our products | -Reducing greenhouse gases -Managing water risks -Responsible takeback |
| “Create technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere” | -Transforming for a low carbon future -Extending leadership to tackle plastic pollution -A more sustainable and inclusive industrial revolution with digital manufacturing | -Planet -People -Community |
| “Sustaining intelligent transformation” | -Committed to social responsibility -End to end transparency -Building a more sustainable future | -Environmental responsibility -Unwavering commitment -Environmental leadership |
Source: Article Group
Accessible
Technical
As we analyzed sustainability messaging, we noticed a clear thematic breakdown along two axes.
Concrete
Subjective
Mapping competitors’ sustainability claims
Concrete vs. subjective
Terms ranged from specific and measurable to open to multiple interpretations
Technical vs. accessible
Terms ranged from dense and sophisticated to straightforward and easily understood
Source: Article Group
Accessible
Technical
Claims tended to be evenly dispersed across both axes, with concentrations on the accessible side of the breakdown.
Battery life
Ethical sourcing
Efficiency
Environment
Renewable energy
Concrete
Subjective
Durability
Sustainable design
Recycled materials
Sustainable packaging
Energy consumption (in production)
Circular economy
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Compliance
Conservation
Carbon negative
Carbon reduction
Carbon offsets
Digital pollution
Secure shareability
Energy use
Device lifespan
Carbon footprint
Substance restrictions
Safe materials
Mapping competitors’ sustainability claims
Efficient data center
PUE
Green = most prevalent terms
Source: Article Group
We evaluated Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Salesforce sustainability content by categorizing topics and product attributes. Then we enumerated the level of use with shading to indicate depth of coverage. See PDF here
Trending terms are well-established and consumer-accessible
Source: Article Group
Trending terms are well-established and consumer-accessible
There is a dearth of general sustainable tech content about “ethical sourcing,” “carbon negativity,” and participation in the “UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Source: Article Group
Trending terms are well-established and consumer-accessible
Looking at product hardware-centered content, we see major gaps in “battery life,” “ethical sourcing,” “sustainable design,” and “durability.”
Source: Article Group
Trending terms are well-established and consumer-accessible
We observed major gaps in Software sustainability overall, with little to no attention around “secure shareability,” “digital pollution,” and “device lifespan” (e.g. AUE).
Source: Article Group
Trending terms are well-established and consumer-accessible
Google OEMs’ landing pages currently say very little about sustainability and the environment across all categories.
Source: Article Group