We are not sustainable And neither is any other device maker. This industry is full of “feel good” messaging, but generates 50 million metric tons of e-waste each year. We believe the best way to reduce environmental impact is to create products that last longer, meaning fewer new ones need to be made. Instead of operating on feels, we operate on data and actions. With funding from Intel, we commissioned Fraunhofer IZM to do a detailed life cycle analysis (LCA) on Framework Laptop 13 to help us understand where we are today and where we can continue to improve. Check out our thoughts on reducing environmental impact and download the LCA report here…
I find it acceptable to use a usb-c dongle for ethernet, even though I admit it’s not as good as a properly integrated port. Overall the Framework 13-inch isn’t the best if you are looking for many I/O options. I own only 4 port-modules, buy even if I had more I don’t see myself swapping them more often than twice a year.
It’s certainly acceptable and more of a nitpick. I just find it super convenient to have Ethernet built-in. Not necessarily for desktop use (you’d probably use a USB-C/Thunderbolt dock with Ethernet anyways), but for activities like troubleshooting routers or other network devices. It’s very handy when you can just take your laptop and plug it right in without having to think about any dongles or adapters or whatever.
You can of course have a permanent RJ-45 port in the Framework laptop, it’s just not as aesthetically pleasing and the fact that it sticks out can cause issues with some sleeves or other cases.