This week in Las Vegas, tech companies at CES 2026 now unveil the latest wearable health devices – glucose monitors, blood pressure trackers, fitness trackers. Probably not mentioned in the event is that these gadgets may create huge environmental problems.
It’s not something that tends to get a lot of attention but a new study from Cornell University and the University of Chicago found that by 2050, the demand for health products could reach 2 billion units per year, or 42 times more than today. If they don’t change the way they are made, these devices could generate more than a million tons of electronic waste and 100 million tons of carbon dioxide over the same period, the authors warn.
The bigger surprise is that it’s not the plastic that’s the problem. The study, published in Nature, found that the printed circuit board – the “brain” of the device – accounted for 70% of the carbon footprint mainly due to intensive mining and manufacturing.
The researchers suggested two improvements: developing chips using common metals like copper instead of rare minerals like gold, and making devices modular so that circuit boards can be reused when the outer cover is replaced.
Wrote one of the study’s co-authors, “When these devices are deployed on a global scale, small design choices increase rapidly.” That’s something to think about when scrolling through CES announcements.