If you're looking to purchase a new Chromebook, then Acer has a compelling argument to buy the Spin 513, having announced its partnership with Ecologi UK to plant 100 trees for every purchase.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 was well received at launch and scored favorably in our own review, so this feels like a feature that sweetens the deal of an already great product, rather than something designed to sell a poor quality device. The first Chromebook to use Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c, you can expect plenty of flexibility thanks to that adjustable display that flips between laptop and tablet mode, and over 12 hours of battery life.
Not only that, but just using the Spin 513 over a laptop or desktop computer will also allegedly help the pledge to better support the environment.
Acer reports that PX3, an IT consulting company specializing in sustainability in IT, benchmarked the ACER Chromebook Spin 513 LTE to see how it would compare against over market-leading notebooks and found that it was 84% more energy efficient than a legacy desktop PC.
Partnering with Ecology UK is yet another way to help cut carbon emissions that result from manufacturing and transportation, with the green charity having a clear and transparent ethos on its website on how it helps to plant trees, both in the UK and across the world. If there's any doubt, you can check the Ecologi Public Impact and Operations Ledger for yourself.
You can purchase the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 for £399 from popular high street retailers like Argos, John Lewis and Currys, but remember to register your device on the Acer website to get those trees planted.
Analysis: it's time to go green
We're seeing a lot of tech companies getting on board with campaigns aimed to reduce environmental impact, and for good reason. Outside of COP26, concerns have been raised for years on the effect that our devices are having, from greenhouse gases being produced as a result of manufacturing, to human welfare in regards to collecting and creating the required components to build them in the first place.
Companies like Apple have also previously been criticized and investigated for 'planned obsolescence', allegedly having built-in redundancy to encourage customers to purchase new devices rather than retain and update existing hardware.
It's difficult to see what is and isn't an attempt at 'greenwashing'. With consumers now being more eco-conscious than ever, having a good environmental policy is a big selling point. It's not always clear what's a genuine campaign or a marketing gimmick, but thankfully many brands do seem to be taking things very seriously these days.
With the inclusion of an outside consultancy and a well-established and transparent charity, this effort to plant 100 trees does feel refreshing and genuine, especially when you consider that Acer has the recently released Vero line of green products to back up its intentions.
With any luck, we'll start to see more large brands pushing eco-initiatives in the coming months, hopefully, sooner rather than later. We only have one planet after all.
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