April is Earth Month, a time to reflect on how our everyday choices impact the environment and how we can contribute to a more sustainable future. While sustainability is often associated with recycling, it is only one part of a much larger picture.
To truly reduce environmental impact, it is important to consider the full life cycle of a product, from raw material extraction and manufacturing to use and end-of-life. One of the most effective, yet often overlooked, ways to reduce this impact is through product longevity.
Product longevity refers to how long a product remains functional and in use before it is replaced. When products last longer, they do not need to be replaced as often, reducing the demand for new materials and limiting waste.
Much of a product’s environmental footprint occurs before it even reaches the user. Manufacturing requires significant resources and energy, and these impacts are repeated each time a product is replaced. Extending the life of products helps reduce this cycle by lowering resource use, emissions, and waste.
This idea is closely connected to the circular economy, which focuses on keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible. Instead of following a linear model of take, make, and dispose, a circular approach encourages durability, maintenance, and responsible end-of-life management.
A strong example of product longevity can be seen in display technology. At ISE 2026, a 20-year-old NEC display, now part of Sharp Display Solutions, was highlighted for its continuous operation at Vienna Airport. Installed around 2005, the NEC MultiSync P46 has been running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, accumulating approximately 175,000 hours of use while supporting the airport’s flight information display system.
This level of performance demonstrates how durable design can extend product life in real-world environments. Features such as metal chassis construction contribute to durability, improve heat dissipation, and support recyclability, allowing products to perform reliably over long periods of time.
In many cases, the most sustainable product is the one that does not need to be replaced.
While large-scale design decisions play an important role, individual actions also contribute to extending product life. Taking care of devices, repairing them when possible, and choosing durable products can all help keep materials in use longer.
This Earth Month, sustainability is an opportunity to look beyond recycling and consider how we use and value the products we already have. By keeping products in use longer, we can reduce waste and support a more sustainable future.