Wearable health devices could generate a million tons of e-waste by 2050

This week in Las Vegas, technology companies at CES 2026 unveiling the latest health gadgets – glucometers, blood pressure monitors, fitness trackers. Maybe no what is mentioned in this exhibition is that these devices can cause serious environmental problems.

It’s not something that attracts much attention, but a a new lesson from Cornell University and the University of Chicago found that by 2050, the demand for healthy clothing could hit 2 billion units per year, or 42 times more than today. Unless we change the way they are designed, these devices could generate more than a million tons of electronic waste and 100 million tons of carbon dioxide in the same period, the authors warn.

The amazing thing is that it is not the plastic that is the problem. The study, published in Nature, found that the printed board – the “brain” of the device – makes up 70% of the carbon footprint, mainly due to heavy mining and manufacturing.

The researchers proposed two improvements: making the chips using common metals like copper instead of rare metals like gold, and making replacement parts so that the circuit board can be reused when the outer layer is replaced.

One of the study’s co-authors wrote, “When these tools are used around the world, the micro-choices add up quickly.” It’s something to consider when researching CES announcements.