TechRadar Sustainability Awards 2026 — entries are now open!

For the third year running, we’re delighted to announce that the entries for the TechRadar Sustainability Awards are now open.

<![CDATA[ <article> <p>For the third year running, we’re delighted to announce that the entries for the TechRadar Sustainability Awards are now open.</p><p>Sustainability has long been an elephant in the room within consumer tech. While an increased focus in recent years has moved us in the right direction, the conversation is shifting from future pledges to action being taken today.</p><p>As one of the largest consumer tech sites, we want to encourage progress and celebrate real-life implementation of better practices, from how products are made and used, to how materials are reused or recovered.</p><p>We’ve heard from some of the biggest names in tech over the past two years of Sustainability Awards – <a href="https://www.techradar.com/tech/techradar-sustainability-awards-2025-winners-celebrating-the-tech-companies-making-a-real-difference"><u>the likes of Bang & Olufsen, Acer and Belkin all shared their efforts with our team and sustainability partners at Seismic</u></a> – as well as exciting newcomers to the space, but we’re doing more. So, this year, we’re growing the TechRadar Sustainability Awards to reach even more brands, celebrating those making genuine progress, setting clear commitments, and, most importantly, being honest and transparent about their journey. </p><p>If that sounds like your brand, a company you represent or even a brand you’re a fan of, entries for our 2026 Awards are open. </p><p>So, what’s new? This year, entry to the Awards is completely free for companies with fewer than 250 staff, but larger businesses can expect to pay a nominal fee to enter and support the research completed by our partners at Seismic. All businesses should be prepared to evidence their impact with relevant documentation, data and certifications. It’ll take us a few months to fact-check and verify the shared information, and we will announce our winners later this year. </p><p>We’re doing everything we can to bring integrity to our process, ensuring we celebrate meaningful impact rather than greenwashing claims. <a href="https://www.seismic-change.com/"><u>Seismic</u></a> is an international team of experts on a mission to help businesses become increasingly impactful forces for good.</p><p>Seismic brings together sustainability strategists, Net Zero advisors, reporting specialists, B Corp & EcoVadis experts and communications consultants to help businesses lead the shift. Seismic will support us in reviewing entries and judging the winners, bringing an extensive knowledge of impact across a range of disciplines and business models.</p><p>We’ll be evaluating entrants not only for sustainable product innovation, but also their approach to people and overall business operations. This includes considerations such as environmental footprint tracking, circularity in product design and supply chain ethics. Winning brands will have the opportunity to license the official TechRadar Sustainability Awards winners logo for use in their marketing.</p><h2 id="how-to-enter">How to enter</h2><p><strong>How to enter</strong></p><p>You can enter the TechRadar Sustainability Awards 2026 here until August 14th. There are seven categories to choose from, which are detailed below as advised by Seismic.</p><p>We also sat down with co-founder and CCO Andy Schmidt in the video below if you want more insight into our joint vision for these awards.</p><div class="youtube-video" data-nosnippet ><div class="video-aspect-box"><iframe data-lazy-priority="high" data-lazy-src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/3JeYJmUV-TY" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-sustainability-awards-categories"><span>Sustainability Awards categories</span></h3><p><strong>Sustainability Awards categories</strong></p><p><strong>Embodied Carbon</strong></p><p>The emissions associated with the manufacturing, transportation and disposal of products and materials - typically account for the largest portion of a tech device’s carbon footprint. For example, research shows that over 80% of a laptop’s lifetime footprint is created before it even reaches a user.</p><p>Meanwhile, energy use during a device's life remains a critical challenge. Estimates suggest that user devices now account for more global electricity consumption than networks and data centres combined and this is expected to increase in the next five to ten years.</p><p>This category recognises businesses that are taking decisive action to reduce both embodied and operational carbon emissions - from smarter design and material choices to improving the energy efficiency of devices when in use.</p><p><strong>Hardware circularity</strong></p><p>The tech industry is characterised by rapid innovation and frequent product obsolescence. As newer, more advanced devices enter the market, older models are often discarded, contributing to a growing e-waste crisis.</p><p>The disposal of this waste is a major concern, particularly as many electronic devices contain hazardous materials, like lead, mercury and cadmium, which can pollute soil and water if not properly disposed of. Designing products with short lifespans also accelerates resource depletion and encourages unsustainable patterns of consumption.</p><p>This category celebrates companies embracing circular economy principles, designing products for longevity, repair and reuse, and with closed-loop material recovery, helping to reduce waste and extend product life cycles.</p><p><strong>Digital Inclusion</strong></p><p>Digital inclusion is a critical sustainability challenge with social implications. While 95% of the global population has the theoretical potential to access the internet, almost half remain offline, often due to limited digital skills, financial barriers or lack of infrastructure. Bridging these gaps is essential to ensuring equitable access to technology.</p><p>This category celebrates initiatives that are helping to close the digital divide by making tech more accessible, affordable and inclusive for underrepresented or underserved communities.</p><p><strong>Nature-positive Sourcing </strong></p><p>While committing to ethical material sourcing and minimising the harmful impacts of raw material extraction is essential, the tech industry must now go further. We want to celebrate businesses that are evolving their operations from simply doing less harm to actively restoring our ecosystems. This category recognizes companies that champion nature-positive sourcing and can provide clear evidence of regenerative practices. We are looking for entrants who are leading the way with initiatives such as the ecological restoration of mining sites, responsible water stewardship, or the innovative use of bio-based and ocean-bound plastics</p><p><strong>Energy Consumption</strong></p><p>Addressing energy consumption is an ongoing responsibility within the tech industry. This category recognises businesses that can evidence what they have done to minimise energy consumption across their operations, manufacturing processes, and product design.</p><p>We want to celebrate companies that have implemented successful initiatives, investments in renewable energy, and energy-efficient technologies and practices to reduce their carbon footprint and promote sustainability. Crucially, as new technologies scale, we place a particular emphasis on how entrants are quantifying their AI usage within their company, and actively managing the effect this has on their overall energy consumption. For example, we’d love to hear about any responsible AI training materials you may have developed, to keep your teams mindful of their AI usage and the environmental impact associated. In addition, we want to know how you’re quantifying AI usage in your company, such as your number of active weekly users of AI through employees or customers.</p><p><strong>Tech for Good</strong></p><p>This refers to the use of technology to address pressing social, environmental and humanitarian challenges and to create positive impact in the world. It encompasses various initiatives, projects and innovations that leverage technology to improve people's lives, protect the planet and promote sustainability and equity.</p><p>We are looking for companies that can demonstrate their positive change using clear impact metrics. We want to celebrate businesses that go beyond narrative success stories by backing up their progress with quantitative data on the beneficiaries reached or proven long-term outcomes. We also understand that smaller companies might not have years of tracked metrics available yet. We’d love to hear about your progress too, whether that’s through early indicators, direct feedback from your stakeholders or case studies showcasing real-world improvements.</p><p><strong>Supply Chain Sustainability</strong></p><p>A truly sustainable tech industry is built from the ground up. For this award, we are spotlighting businesses that proactively address supply chain sustainability. We are looking for standout initiatives and practices that promote ethical sourcing, reduce environmental impact, and enhance social responsibility from start to finish. Whether you are a small business or a large enterprise, we want to celebrate companies that can back up their progress with meaningful action and transparency.</p> </article> ]]>