# Hold The Throne | Ethical and Sustainable Brands Directory Eco-Friendly Buyers Guide and Analysis - Site: https://holdthethrone.com/ ## Why CleanHub’s list looks different - Link: https://holdthethrone.com/cleanhub-sustainable-brands-list/ - Published: 2026-09-26T02:08:10+00:00 - Author: Queen of Vitality ![CleanHub sustainable clothing brands list reviewed fibre by fibre by Hold The Throne](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-1-1024x573.png) CleanHub’s sustainable clothing list, checked against the actual fibre compositions. **CleanHub removes plastic from the ocean. Its sustainable clothing list is thoughtful on impact, repair, circularity and sourcing. But when I tested the actual fibre compositions against one narrower question, what is genuinely plant fibre, the result changed completely.** I read the labels, not the marketing copy. A recycled bottle on your back is still plastic on your back. That does not make recycling pointless. It means recycled plastic, regenerated cellulose, animal fibre and pure plant fibre are not interchangeable. > **The ethics can be right while the fibre is wrong.** ## The result at a glance These are the eleven brands in CleanHub’s list compared against Hold The Throne’s recorded clothing data. Published Eco Scores, fibre percentages and catalogue totals now come directly from each current HTT brand record. Live comparison**11 brands, checked fibre by fibre** Eco Scores, plant-fibre percentages and catalogue totals come from the current published HTT record. A blank score is not estimated. Sort | Brand | HTT Eco Score | Plant fibre | Recorded fibre mix | Catalogue | Finding | | [01 · PANGAIA](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/pangaia/)Organic cotton mixed with regenerated and synthetic fibres | 3/5 | **84.6%** | Plant: Cotton, Linen | Synthetic: Elastane, Polyamide, Nylon | Regenerated: Lyocell | Animal: Wool, Cashmere, Leather | 204 styles | Organic cotton appears throughout the range, beside regenerated and synthetic fibres.[Read report ](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/pangaia/) | | [02 · Vuori](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/vuori/)Recycled polyester and spandex activewear | 1/5 | **20.5%** | Plant: Cotton | Synthetic: Polyester, Elastane, Polyamide | Regenerated: Lyocell | 41 styles | Recycled synthetics dominate much of the activewear range.[Read report ](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/vuori/) | | [03 · Finisterre](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/finisterre/)Organic cotton beside wool and synthetic fibres | 1/5 | **58.3%** | 284 (42.1%) 100% plant fibre (organic cotton, linen, hemp) | 118 (17.5%) synthetic (polyester, nylon, elastane) | 4 (0.6%) semi-synthetic (viscose, modal, Tencel, bamboo) | 84 (12.5%) animal fibre (wool, silk, down) | 184 (27.3%) no stated composition | 678 styles | Plant fibres are present, but wool and synthetics keep the range mixed.[Read report ](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/finisterre/) | | [04 · Patagonia](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/patagonia/)Regenerative cotton beside synthetic technical clothing | 1/5 | **31.3%** | 14 (29.2%) 100% plant (organic/regenerative cotton, linen, hemp) | 13 (27.1%) plant + synthetic blend | 3 (6.2%) plant + semi-synthetic blend | 14 (29.2%) 100% synthetic | 4 (8.3%) animal blend | 48 styles | Regenerative cotton exists, while many technical pieces still rely on synthetics.[Read report ](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/patagonia/) | | **05 · Passenger**Outdoor clothing with recycled synthetic blends | No HTT record | Not verified | No verified HTT composition record | Not recorded | The CleanHub list includes Passenger, but HTT has no published brand record yet. | | [06 · Stella McCartney](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/stella-mccartney/)Vegan does not automatically mean pure plant fibre | 1/5 | **36.4%** | Plant: Cotton | Synthetic: Polyamide, Elastane, Polyester | Regenerated: Viscose | Animal: Silk, Wool, Cashmere | 44 styles | The range mixes plant, regenerated, synthetic and animal fibres.[Read report ](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/stella-mccartney/) | | [07 · Story mfg](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/story-mfg/)A predominantly plant-fibre range | 5/5 | **98.9%** | 378 (98.7%) 100% plant fibre (organic cotton, linen, hemp) | 1 (0.3%) semi-synthetic (viscose, modal, Tencel, bamboo) | 3 (0.8%) animal fibre (wool, silk, down) | 1 (0.3%) no stated composition | 191 styles | The strongest plant-fibre result among the eleven listed brands.[Read report ](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/story-mfg/) | | **08 · Greater Goods**Upcycled source fibre varies | No HTT record | Not verified | No verified HTT composition record | Not recorded | Upcycling can be useful, but the source fibre changes from garment to garment. | | **09 · Camper**A footwear-led material mix | No HTT record | Not verified | No verified HTT composition record | Not recorded | The CleanHub list includes Camper, but HTT has no published brand record yet. | | [10 · Yes Friends](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/yes-friends/)Organic-cotton lines beside mixed-fibre ranges | 1/5 | **54.5%** | Plant: Cotton, Linen | Synthetic: Elastane, Polyester | Regenerated: Lyocell, Tencel, Viscose | 82 styles | Some pure cotton products sit beside synthetic and regenerated-fibre blends.[Read report ](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/yes-friends/) | | [11 · Arvor Life](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/arvor-life/)Organic-cotton tees beside recycled-polyester hoodies | 1/5 | **96.3%** | 237 (74.3%) 100% plant fibre (organic cotton, linen, hemp) | 9 (2.8%) synthetic (polyester, nylon, elastane) | 73 (22.9%) no stated composition | 378 styles | The recorded catalogue is strongly plant based, with a smaller synthetic share.[Read report ](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/arvor-life/) | Verified October 2026. Scores are read from the brand records at page render time. Three CleanHub-listed brands do not yet have a published HTT report and are labelled accordingly. ## The list changes when you read the fibre label properly CleanHub’s list comes from a broad sustainability framework. It rewards recycled materials, carbon commitments, ocean conservation, fair trade manufacturing, circularity, repair programmes, transparency and upcycling. Those are legitimate sustainability considerations. But they do not answer the same question as fibre composition. My question here is narrower: **what is the garment physically made from?** * **Plant fibre:** cotton, linen and hemp. * **Animal fibre:** wool, silk, cashmere and leather. * **Synthetic fibre:** polyester, nylon and elastane. * **Semi-synthetic or regenerated fibre:** viscose, rayon, modal, lyocell, TENCEL and similar processed cellulose fibres. > **A product can perform well on repair, circularity or recycled content and still > not be a pure plant-fibre garment.** ## What CleanHub’s sustainability criteria miss about pure plant fibre CleanHub’s sustainability criteria include natural and recycled materials, climate commitments, ocean conservation, fair trade manufacturing, circularity, repair, transparency and upcycling. The problem is the category blur. Recycled polyester is still polyester. ECONYL is still nylon. Elastane is still synthetic stretch fibre. Viscose and lyocell start with cellulose, but they are processed fibres rather than the same material category as cotton, linen or hemp straight from the field. This article therefore separates **material composition** from the rest of the sustainability story rather than pretending one number answers everything. --- ## CleanHub’s 11 sustainable clothing brands, checked brand by brand I checked the material compositions behind each brand in CleanHub’s list. You can also inspect the underlying [clothing data](https://holdthethrone.com/category/data/clothing-data/) directly. ### 1. PANGAIA ![PANGAIA sustainable clothing fibre composition review](https://holdthethrone.com/ wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PANGAIA-review-1024x576.jpg) **Current HTT record: 3/5 · 84.6% plant fibre · 204 recorded styles.** PANGAIA uses organic cotton alongside SeaCell, C-FIBER, TENCEL lyocell and elastane. The cotton is straightforward field fibre. The regenerated fibres sit in a separate category, and elastane is synthetic. PANGAIA deserves credit for unusually detailed material innovation. That still does not make every garment a pure plant-fibre garment. ### 2. Vuori ![Vuori sustainable clothing fibre composition review](https://holdthethrone.com/ wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Vuori-review-842x1024.avif) DreamKnit and BlissBlend are built around recycled polyester and spandex. Recycled polyester may reduce virgin feedstock, but it remains a synthetic fibre. Vuori also sells cotton products, which is why the exact garment matters more than the brand slogan. ### 3. Finisterre ![Finisterre sustainable clothing fibre composition review](https://holdthethrone. com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Finisterre-cotton.webp) Finisterre combines organic cotton with merino wool, recycled wool, recycled polyester and ECONYL recycled nylon. The organic cotton passes the plant-fibre test. Wool is animal fibre. Polyester and nylon remain synthetic even when recycled. ### 4. Patagonia ![Patagonia regenerative organic cotton clothing review](https://holdthethrone.com/ wp-content/uploads/2025/09/patagonia-regenerative-organic-certified-cotton.jpg) **The current HTT record is not scored. It records 31.3% plant fibre across 48 styles.** Patagonia uses recycled polyester, nylon and spandex extensively. Its regenerative organic cotton pieces are the obvious exceptions and are the products I would prioritise if fibre composition is the main concern. Repair, activism and recycled inputs are separate strengths. They should be credited separately rather than used to disguise what the garment itself contains. ### 5. Passenger Passenger relies heavily on recycled polyester, polyester-elastane stretch fabric and recycled nylon, with cotton appearing in parts of the range. Tree planting and outdoor positioning are separate from the composition question. Read the percentage label on the exact product. ### 6. Stella McCartney ![Stella McCartney sustainable clothing fibre composition review](https://holdthethrone. com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Stella-McCartney-review.webp) Stella McCartney’s no-leather and no-fur position is meaningful, but vegan does not automatically mean plant fibre. The signature stretch cady combines viscose, acetate and elastane, while other parts of the range use wool and silk. ### 7. Story mfg ![Story mfg organic cotton and linen clothing review](https://holdthethrone.com/ wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Story-mfg-hand-woven.webp) **Current HTT record: 4/5 · 98.9% plant · 411 recorded styles.** Story mfg is the strongest fit in this list for the material standard being tested here. The current HTT record is overwhelmingly plant fibre, with 98.9% plant, 0.8% animal, 0% synthetic and 0.3% semi-synthetic in the recorded composition. This is what a materially coherent sustainability story looks like: the composition itself supports the marketing. ### 8. Greater Goods Greater Goods repurposes existing outdoor garments. That is useful circularity, but the original fibre remains the original fibre. If the source fleece is polyester, the upcycled garment is still polyester. Until the composition is disclosed, it should not be presented as a confirmed pure plant- fibre result. ### 9. Camper Camper is mainly a footwear brand. Its materials include recycled leather and synthetic alternatives, with organic cotton appearing in some apparel. That is not enough evidence to call the clothing range a pure plant-fibre wardrobe. ### 10. Yes Friends **The current HTT record is not scored. It records 54.5% plant fibre across 82 styles.** The strongest Yes Friends products are the 100% Fairtrade organic-cotton tees, hoodies and sweatshirts. The underwear introduces elastane, while parts of the denim range use biodegradable polyester. Those products no longer qualify as pure plant fibre under this test. ### 11. Arvor Life ![Arvor Life organic cotton and recycled polyester clothing review](https://holdthethrone. com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Arvor-Life-sustainable-hoodie.webp) The tees are 100% organic cotton. The signature sweatshirts and hoodies are 85% organic cotton and 15% recycled polyester. That makes the tee a straightforward plant-fibre buy and the hoodie a mixed synthetic blend. --- ## Better examples of simple organic-cotton basics If the goal is a simple fibre label rather than a broad sustainability claim, these are much easier to understand. ### Oddobody ![Oddobody 100% organic cotton underwear](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2026/06/Oddobody-sustainable-underwear-non-toxic2.jpg) Oddobody makes organic-cotton basics and underwear with a deliberately simple material approach. [Read the full Oddobody report →](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/oddobody/) ### The Classic T-Shirt Company ![The Classic T-Shirt Company 100% organic cotton T-shirt](https://holdthethrone. com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/The-Classic-T-Shirt-Company-buy-sustainable-clothing1. webp) The current HTT record shows 100% plant fibre across the recorded range, with no synthetic fibre in the composition result. [Read the full Classic T-Shirt Company report →](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes/the-classic-t-shirt-company/) --- ## How to read a clothing fibre label in 10 seconds **You do not need a chemistry degree. You need four habits.** 1. **Read the percentage, not the adjective.** “Eco”, “green” and “natural” are marketing language. The fibre percentages are the useful part. 2. **Learn the regenerated-fibre words.** Viscose, rayon, modal, cupro and lyocell are processed cellulose fibres, not the same category as raw cotton, linen or hemp. 3. **Treat bamboo as a prompt to check the label.** Soft bamboo clothing is commonly bamboo viscose. 4. **Check the exact garment, not just the brand.** The same company can sell a 100% organic-cotton tee and a polyester-elastane legging. Our [clothing data reports](https://holdthethrone.com/category/data/clothing-data/) record the actual fibre labels so you can check composition before buying. --- ## What sustainable clothing means in this article This article is not claiming that fibre composition is the only sustainability measure that matters. It isolates one question that gets blurred in broad sustainable-fashion lists: **what is the garment physically made from?** * **Plant fibre:** cotton, linen and hemp. * **Processed cellulose:** viscose, rayon, modal and lyocell are tracked separately. * **Animal fibre:** wool, silk and cashmere do not count as plant fibre. * **Synthetic fibre:** polyester, nylon and elastane do not count as plant fibre whether virgin or recycled. Labour rights, dye chemistry, durability, repairability, emissions, water use and sourcing still matter. They are simply different questions. --- ## The verdict on CleanHub’s sustainable clothing list CleanHub’s list is useful if you want brands doing something positive across circularity, recycled inputs, conservation, repair or labour. It is much less useful if the reader interprets “sustainable clothing” as meaning the clothes themselves are made from straightforward natural plant fibre. **Story mfg is the clearest fit in the current HTT data, with a 4/5 score and 98.9% plant fibre across 411 recorded styles.** Yes Friends and Arvor Life also contain genuinely straightforward organic-cotton products, but not every product line passes the same test. > **Read the label first. Then decide which sustainability claims matter to you.** To check the evidence yourself, open the [clothing data reports](https://holdthethrone.com/data-reports/clothing/), or browse the [linen](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes-type/linen/), [hemp](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes-type/hemp/), [denim](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes-type/denim/) and [regenerative cotton](https://holdthethrone.com/clothes-type/regenerative-cotton/) directories. ## Most Sustainable Phones 2026 - Link: https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/ - Published: 2026-09-15T05:27:13+00:00 - Author: Queen of Vitality 7 PHONES · ONE EVIDENCE SET**Phones in this investigation** Swipe to compare → [ ⌊Fairphone Gen. 6⌉ #1**Fairphone Gen. 6** _Eco_**5/5**_Ethics_**4/5** ](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#fairphone-gen-6) [ ⌊Samsung Galaxy S25⌉ #2**Samsung Galaxy S25** _Eco_**5/5**_Ethics_**2/5** ](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#samsung-galaxy-s25) [ ⌊Nothing Phone 3a Pro⌉ #3**Nothing Phone 3a Pro** _Eco_**3/5**_Ethics_**N/A** ](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#nothing-phone-3a-pro) [ ⌊Apple iPhone 17⌉ #4**Apple iPhone 17** _Eco_**4/5**_Ethics_**2/5** ](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#apple-iphone-17) [ ⌊Sony Xperia 1 VII⌉ N/R**Sony Xperia 1 VII** _Eco_**4/5**_Ethics_**2/5** ](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#sony-xperia-1-vii) [ ⌊Google Pixel 10⌉ #5**Google Pixel 10** _Eco_**4/5**_Ethics_**1/5** ](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#google-pixel-10) [ ⌊Pixel 10 Pro Fold⌉ #6**Pixel 10 Pro Fold** _Eco_**4/5**_Ethics_**1/5** ](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#google-pixel-10-pro-fold) THE RESULT · UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026 ## The result The genuinely sustainable answer is still boring: **keep the phone you already have if it works.** Repair it if sensible. Buy refurbished or second-hand next. If you genuinely need a brand-new phone, the strongest option in this seven-phone investigation is the [**Fairphone Gen. 6**](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/). [ ⌊Fairphone Gen. 6⌉ ](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/) IF YOU NEED TO BUY A NEW PHONE ### 󠀁[Fairphone Gen. 6](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/)󠁿 It has the lowest reported lifecycle footprint in this comparison at roughly **29.3 kg CO₂e**, **12 user-replaceable parts**, software and parts support extending to** 2033**, and [**10/10 repairability** from iFixit](https://www.ifixit.com/News/111613/fairphone-6-teardown-proof-phones-dont-have-to-be-disposable). [Why it came out on top →](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#fairphone-gen-6) REPORTED FOOTPRINT **~29.3** kg CO₂e LOWEST REPORTED FOOTPRINT **Fairphone Gen. 6** ~29.3 kg CO₂e HIGHEST REPORTED FOOTPRINT **Pixel 10 Pro Fold** ~123 kg CO₂e STRONG MAINSTREAM DATA **Samsung Galaxy S25** 45.7 kg CO₂e · 7 years support LONG SOFTWARE SUPPORT **Galaxy S25 + Pixel 10** 7 years MY ACTUAL BUYING ORDER 1. **Keep yours.** If it works, keep it. 2. **Repair it.** Preferably without setting the battery on fire like I did. 3. **Buy refurbished or second-hand.** 4. **Buy new for longevity.** Repairability and years of support matter more than an “eco” sticker. THE SHORTLIST ### Best and worst at a glance [Full comparison →](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#sustainable-phones-ranking) Quick summary of the seven-phone sustainable phone comparison | Result | Phone | What stood out | | **Strongest new-phone option here** | [Fairphone Gen. 6](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/) | ~29.3 kg CO₂e · 12 replaceable parts · support to 2033 | | **Lowest reported emissions** | [Fairphone Gen. 6](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/) | ~29.3 kg CO₂e | | **Strong mainstream product data** | [Samsung Galaxy S25](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/samsung-galaxy-s25/) | 45.7 kg CO₂e · recycled metals · 7 years of updates | | **Highest reported emissions** | [Pixel 10 Pro Fold](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/pixel-10-pro-fold/) | ~123 kg CO₂e despite meaningful recycled-material content | [See the full 7-phone comparison ↓](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#sustainable-phones-ranking) [Compare all phone reports →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/) **Important:** manufacturers do not all calculate lifecycle emissions using identical methodologies or boundaries. These figures help show scale. They are not a fake precision contest. If you are here because you searched for the **most sustainable phone in 2026**, the result is above. Making you read thousands of words before telling you would be deeply annoying. My sustainable phone investigation really started when I made a video about how phone batteries are mined which got censored on social media. Censored on TikTok, but not from [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/DBb93guN7qJ/) 😏. It was the video where my phone screen was completely smashed and I was having a climate anxiety episode. Laugh as you may, I was genuinely struggling with it. I knew I needed a new phone, but I also knew what sits behind that shiny little rectangle we casually replace every few years. ## The seven-phone ranking I ranked the six phones with disclosed lifecycle totals from lowest to highest reported emissions. Sony remains in the seven-phone investigation but is not ranked because I could not verify an official product carbon footprint. The HTT Eco Score and Ethics Score are separate evidence evaluations. [All sustainable phone reports](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/) [How we score](https://holdthethrone.com/the-throne-standard/) COMPACT METHODOLOGY KEY ### Three measures, three different jobs Ranking orderReported lifecycle emissions, lowest disclosed total first HTT Eco ScoreSeparate environmental evidence assessment from the live product record HTT Ethics ScoreSeparate labour, sourcing and accountability assessment from the live product record WHAT CHANGED IN THIS UPDATE ### Verified 27 September 2026 * Synced both HTT scores directly from each phone record. * Added exact model, configuration, market, report year, support date and primary source. * Removed the unsupported Sony carbon figure and marked the phone not ranked for emissions. | Phone | HTT scores | Reported footprint | Strongest point | Context | Evidence | | ⌊Fairphone Gen. 6⌉⌊Fairphone Gen. 6⌉[#1 · Fairphone Gen. 6](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/)12 user-replaceable parts, support to 2033 | _Eco_**5/5**_Ethics_**4/5** | 29.3 kg CO2e | 10/10 repairability | The 29.3 kg result is after reduction measures. The assessment reports 41.8 kg before those measures and assumes three years of use. | View evidence Exact modelFairphone Gen. 6 Configuration256GB, microSD support up to 2TB Market or boundaryMarket not stated in the lifecycle assessment Report year2025 Source report[Fairphone Gen. 6 lifecycle assessment](https://www.fairphone.com/hub/en/resources-policies/) Software support2033 Score recordsEco calculated 2026-09-27. Ethics calculated 2026-09-13. Last verified27 September 2026 [Open the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/) | | ⌊Samsung Galaxy S25⌉⌊Samsung Galaxy S25⌉[#2 · Samsung Galaxy S25](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/samsung-galaxy-s25/)Seven years of operating system and security updates | _Eco_**5/5**_Ethics_**2/5** | 45.7 kg CO2e | Mainstream balance | The report assumes three years of use. Product data does not settle separate worker-safety and environmental-health questions. | View evidence Exact modelGalaxy S25 ConfigurationStorage configuration not stated in the environmental report Market or boundaryDistribution from Vietnam to the European region Report year2025 Source report[Galaxy S25 Product Environmental Report](https://www.samsung.com/global/sustainability/landing_hub-file/AZUXQCVKIiwALYMV/Galaxy_S25_Environmental_Report_EN.pdf) Software supportApproximately January 2032, seven years from global launch Score recordsEco calculated 2026-09-27. Ethics calculated 2026-09-13. Last verified27 September 2026 [Open the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/samsung-galaxy-s25/) | | ⌊Nothing Phone 3a Pro⌉⌊Nothing Phone 3a Pro⌉[#3 · Nothing Phone 3a Pro](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/nothing-phone-3a-pro/)Strong recycled-metal disclosure | _Eco_**3/5**_Ethics_**N/A** | 51.3 kg CO2e | Recycled metals | The 51.3 kg figure is shared across Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro. The report does not provide separate model footprints. | View evidence Exact modelNothing Phone (3a) Pro Configuration12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant; footprint is not tied to a stated configuration Market or boundaryMarket and use duration not stated in the report Report year2025 Source report[Phone (3a) Series Sustainability Report](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/5420/0459/files/Arc_ArcPro_Sustainability_Report_v5.pdf) Software supportApproximately March 2031, six years of security patches from launch Score recordsEco calculated 2026-09-27. Ethics calculated 2026-09-13. Last verified27 September 2026 [Open the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/nothing-phone-3a-pro/) | | ⌊Apple iPhone 17⌉⌊Apple iPhone 17⌉[#4 · Apple iPhone 17](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/iphone-17/)Storage-specific footprints shown | _Eco_**4/5**_Ethics_**2/5** | 55 kg at 256GB; 61 kg at 512GB | Recycled materials | The two storage configurations have different reported footprints. Product-material gains do not answer separate labour and supply-chain questions. | View evidence Exact modelApple iPhone 17 Configuration256GB and 512GB Market or boundaryRegional electricity-grid differences included; no single market Report year2025 Source report[iPhone 17 Product Environmental Report](https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPhone_17_PER_Sept2025.pdf) Software supportNo fixed support end date announced by Apple Score recordsEco calculated 2026-09-27. Ethics calculated 2026-09-13. Last verified27 September 2026 [Open the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/iphone-17/) | | ⌊Sony Xperia 1 VII⌉⌊Sony Xperia 1 VII⌉[N/R · Sony Xperia 1 VII](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/sony-xperia-1-vii/)Not ranked for emissions due to missing official footprint | _Eco_**4/5**_Ethics_**2/5** | Not disclosed | Plastic-free packaging | Sony did not disclose a product carbon footprint in the official materials reviewed, so this phone is not ranked by emissions. | View evidence Exact modelSony Xperia 1 VII Configuration256GB European model Market or boundaryEuropean launch information; no product lifecycle assessment located Report year2025 Source report[Sony Xperia 1 VII launch release](https://www.sony.eu/presscentre/sony-introduces-its-latest-flagship-smartphone-xperia-1-vii) Software supportUp to six years of security updates from the May 2025 release Score recordsEco calculated 2026-09-27. Ethics calculated 2026-09-13. Last verified27 September 2026 [Open the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/sony-xperia-1-vii/) | | ⌊Google Pixel 10⌉⌊Google Pixel 10⌉[#5 · Google Pixel 10](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/google-pixel-10/)Seven years of updates | _Eco_**4/5**_Ethics_**1/5** | 82 kg CO2e | Material disclosure | The report assumes three years of use. Strong recycled-material specifications sit beside a comparatively high lifecycle footprint. | View evidence Exact modelGoogle Pixel 10, model GK2MP Configuration128GB configuration Market or boundaryUnited States and European use-phase assumptions Report year2025 Source report[Google Pixel 10 Product Environmental Report](https://sustainability.google/reports/google-pixel-10-product-environmental-report/) Software supportApproximately August 2032, seven years from first US Google Store availability Score recordsEco calculated 2026-09-27. Ethics calculated 2026-09-13. Last verified27 September 2026 [Open the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/google-pixel-10/) | | ⌊Pixel 10 Pro Fold⌉⌊Pixel 10 Pro Fold⌉[#6 · Pixel 10 Pro Fold](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/pixel-10-pro-fold/)Highest disclosed footprint in this comparison | _Eco_**4/5**_Ethics_**1/5** | 123 kg CO2e | Recycled materials | The report assumes three years of use. Recycled content does not make this large foldable a low-impact device. | View evidence Exact modelGoogle Pixel 10 Pro Fold, model GU0NP Configuration256GB configuration Market or boundaryUnited States and European use-phase assumptions Report year2025 Source report[Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Product Environmental Report](https://sustainability.google/reports/google-pixel-10-pro-fold-product-environmental-report/) Software supportApproximately August 2032, seven years from first US Google Store availability Score recordsEco calculated 2026-09-27. Ethics calculated 2026-09-13. Last verified27 September 2026 [Open the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/pixel-10-pro-fold/) | Manufacturers do not all calculate lifecycle emissions using identical methodologies or boundaries. Use the disclosed totals to understand scale, not as a fake precision contest. SEPTEMBER 2026 CHECK ### What about newer phones? Because the phone industry apparently cannot sit still for five minutes, the market has moved again. [Fairphone launched the Gen. 6+ on 18 August 2026](https://www.fairphone.com/stories/the-fairphone-gen-6-is-all-about-giving-you-more). Samsung now publishes environmental reports for the [Galaxy S26 series](https://www.samsung.com/global/sustainability/popup/popup_doc/AYYRAS9qAL0AIx_c/). Apple has [iPhone 18 environmental reports](https://www.apple.com/uk/environment/). Google now lists [Pixel 11 environmental reports](https://sustainability.google/stories/). **I have NOT silently swapped them into this ranking simply because they are newer.** The seven phones below are the fixed evidence set I compared using the same fields. New models go in when I can compare footprint, repairability, software support, materials and sourcing on the same basis. Otherwise that is not an update. It is SEO theatre. IN THIS INVESTIGATION **Jump to what you actually came for** 1. [The 7-phone ranking](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#sustainable-phones-ranking) 2. [How this investigation started](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#how-this-investigation-started) 3. [What the Eco Score means](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#what-the-eco-score-means) 4. [Your questions about sustainable phones](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#sustainable-phone-questions) 5. [The seven phones examined](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#seven-phones-examined) 6. [Storage and emissions](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#storage-and-emissions) 7. [Huawei, Xiaomi and global supply chains](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#huawei-xiaomi-supply-chains) 8. [Repairability and software support](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#repairability-and-software-support) 9. [What I would actually do](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#which-sustainable-phone) 10. [Sustainable phone FAQ](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#sustainable-phone-faq) 11. [Sources and evidence](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#sources) ## How this sustainable phone investigation started I did not start this because I wanted to make a cute little list of “eco phones”. I started because my own phone was smashed, I needed another one, and every answer created five more questions. > [Watch the original broken-phone video on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/DBb93guN7qJ/) ### **List of problems with looking for sustainable phones** * Cobalt. * Lithium. * Copper. * Gold. * Tin. * Rare earth minerals. * Plastic. * Semiconductors. * Factories. * Water. * Energy. * Human labour. And supply chains so complicated that the logo stamped on the back of your phone tells you very little about the number of countries, mines, refiners, factories and human hands involved in actually making it. So obviously I did the rational thing. I tried to repair my phone myself. Big mistake. **The battery SET ON FIRE.** Lol. After that little incident I bought a second-hand phone from CEX. Still not perfect, but at least another device did not have to be manufactured specifically because of me. That experience sent me into what has now become a multi-year rabbit hole. **I started reading phone sustainability reports.** Then lifecycle assessments. Then recycled- material disclosures. Then cobalt. Then aluminium. Then plastic. Then packaging. Then repairability. Then software support. Then emissions. Then I started looking at who actually makes the phones. Then workers. Then pollution. Then whistleblowers. Then conflict minerals. Then censorship and surveillance allegations. And suddenly asking **“what is the most sustainable phone?”** became a MUCH bigger question. **This is why I built the [Hold The Throne sustainable phone database](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/).** I wanted the product data in one place, scored against [The Throne Standard](https://holdthethrone.com/the-throne-standard/), with the corporate ethics investigated separately instead of pretending one little green score can explain an entire multinational company. **A rather important update: I now own no phone 😂** Yes. The woman writing a gigantic investigation into sustainable phones currently owns… **no phone.** None at all. I use social media from my iPad. And I recently cracked THAT because there was a mosquito on the screen and apparently for one crucial second I forgot that a mosquito and an iPad require slightly different levels of force. So I am slowly, accidentally, making my way out of the matrix. At this rate my next technology review will be written on a leaf. I also think about the contradiction of running Hold The Throne. Servers use electricity. Storage uses resources. Scanning, processing, websites and all the technology behind this database have a footprint. I feel guilty about that. I am also not going to do the corporate thing and pretend my lack of a phone magically “offsets” a website. It doesn’t. But my own tech footprint is dissolving in real time. No phone. One injured iPad. Devices being used until they are basically begging me to let them die. And in my mind the best justification I can give for the technology I _am_ using is to make this information useful enough that somebody else keeps their phone longer, repairs something rather than replacing it, buys second-hand, or does not fall for some completely ridiculous “eco” claim. ## What the Hold The Throne Eco Score means This is probably the most important thing in this entire article. **The Eco Score is NOT my personal opinion of the company.** It is not: * “Do I like Apple?” * “Would I personally buy a Samsung?” * “Is this CEO a nice person?” * “Does this corporation align with my politics?” The electronics score is based on the product facts we can actually establish: recycled content, repairability, expected life, software support, packaging, energy information and whether there is traceable reporting behind the claims. **The score records what we can prove. My journalism investigates what a product score cannot morally absolve.** If Apple genuinely publishes 100% recycled cobalt attributed to a battery under its chain-of-custody system, I record the claim and the method behind it. I cannot change that to zero because I personally think Apple has behaved horrendously elsewhere. If Samsung gives a phone seven years of updates and uses recycled metals, those facts go into the record. I cannot remove the points because I later find allegations concerning workers at a factory. Likewise, Fairphone does not get imaginary bonus points because I prefer what the company stands for. **The data decides the score.** Then we investigate everything the score cannot capture. That distinction matters a LOT in this article because I do not support Apple’s wider corporate antics. From Congo to supply-chain labour to its carbon-offsetting investments, the company is riddled with ethical questions that a good recycled- material figure does not magically wash away. ## Your questions about sustainable phones You lot had questions. Good. Because some of the pushback is completely fair. My posts about Apple, cobalt and phones generated hundreds of comments. And honestly, the useful ones made this investigation better. Not because I agree with every comment. Because they forced the questions that corporate sustainability reports conveniently avoid. ### Mass balance and recycled cobalt > “Okay, but isn’t mass balance still better than just mining more virgin cobalt?” This came up repeatedly under [my Tim Cook / Dua Lipa cobalt post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DS-caiBDUcX/) and [my Apple 100% recycled cobalt post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DS-QqHNjZFF/). And yes. **Mass balance itself is not automatically bad.** This is the nuance I do not want lost. A mass-balance system can allow recycled material to enter a large industrial supply chain even when physically segregating every batch is impractical. If it is properly audited, increasing recycled feedstock in the overall system can be materially better than simply continuing to rely entirely on virgin extraction. That is a real benefit. My problem is the consumer-facing language. ISO defines mass balance as a chain-of-custody model where material with a specified characteristic can be mixed with material without that characteristic. The newer ISO 14021 wording is even clearer: when recycled content is attributed through a mass-balance model, the claimed recycled content **cannot be guaranteed in an individual product supplied**. That is the whole argument. Not: **“Mass balance = fake.”** But: **“Tell people what 100% recycled actually means when you are using mass balance.”** Apple’s own 2025 Environmental Progress Report said 76% of the cobalt shipped in its products in 2024 came from certified recycled sources using mass-balance allocation. Apple now says it has reached 100% recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries. Good. Genuinely. But if an ordinary person reads “100% recycled cobalt in the battery”, they are very reasonably going to think the cobalt physically inside that battery is 100% recycled. Under mass balance, that physical guarantee is not necessarily what the claim means. That is not me hating recycling. That is me wanting language to mean what normal human beings think it means. Read the [ISO recycled-content definition](https://www.iso.org/obp/ui?_escaped_fragment_=iso%3Astd%3Aiso%3A14021%3Aed-3%3Av1%3Aen) and Apple’s [2026 Environmental Progress Report](https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Progress_Report_2026.pdf) yourself. > “But if Apple puts a phone’s worth of recycled cobalt into the system, why do > I care which atom is in MY phone?” Fair question. Probably one of the strongest comments I got. From a system-level recycling perspective, the exact atom is not necessarily the most important thing. If a properly verified mass-balance system results in more recycled cobalt entering production and less demand for virgin cobalt, that matters. Where I push back is when the accounting system gets translated into marketing language that gives consumers a different impression. **The issue is not whether recycled cobalt molecules have your name written on them.** The issue is transparency. Particularly because cobalt is not a neutral little sustainability buzzword. People are choosing recycled cobalt specifically because they know about the horrific human- rights questions surrounding mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. If somebody buys a device believing its battery physically contains no newly mined cobalt, that is materially different information from: “We purchased and attributed enough certified recycled cobalt through a shared mass-balance system to cover this production volume.” One sentence takes longer. It is also a lot clearer. ### When you need a replacement phone > “I actually need a smartphone. What do you want me to do, disappear from society?” Also fair 😂. This came up under both Apple posts and my original [“my phone is busted, what do I buy?” post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DBb93guN7qJ/). A smartphone is functionally necessary for a ridiculous amount of modern life. Banking. Work. Maps. Authentication. Family. Travel. School. Government services. I am not interested in shaming somebody because their six-year-old phone finally died and they need another one. That is not the same thing as upgrading every September because the camera now has one extra button. The practical answer is extremely boring: **keep yours as long as it works, repair it when sensible, buy refurbished or second-hand when you can, and only then buy new.** ### Refurbished and second-hand phones > “Is refurbished actually a realistic solution?” YES. Not a perfect solution. A realistic one. Several people under [my broken-phone post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DBb93guN7qJ/) said exactly this, including people who had bought refurbished devices successfully. My own replacement came from CEX. The obvious advantage is that you are extending the useful life of a device that has already absorbed its manufacturing impact. The things I would check are battery health, warranty, repair history, software- support horizon and whether replacement parts are still realistically available. A refurbished phone with a dying battery and one year of security support is not automatically a genius environmental purchase. But a good refurbished phone that gets another three, four or five years of real use? That makes a lot of sense. ### Individual choices and industry responsibility > “Isn’t telling people to shop better just individualising a systemic problem?” YES. If that is ALL we do. This was another important argument under [the Tim Cook post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DS-caiBDUcX/). You cannot consumer-choice your way out of a supply chain designed around extraction, planned replacement and enormous corporate power. We need right-to-repair law. We need durable-design requirements. We need labour protections. We need meaningful due diligence on minerals. We need environmental enforcement around factories. We need companies to stop being allowed to hide a material claim in 96 pages of fine print and then put the simple version on a billboard. Individual action and structural action are not enemies. I can keep my phone for seven years AND demand better regulation. In fact, the EU’s smartphone ecodesign rules are a perfect example of why regulation matters. Once manufacturers were required to make devices more durable, keep spare parts available and provide longer software support, a lot of things we were previously told were basically impossible suddenly became extremely possible. Funny that. ## The seven phones, examined **There is no completely ethical smartphone** Sorry. There just isn’t and won’t be any time soon. Just face the facts. If somebody is marketing a completely guilt-free eco phone to you, I would already be suspicious. Smartphones require mined materials, semiconductor fabrication, industrial chemicals, water, energy, international transport and a ridiculous number of suppliers. [**62m tonnes** of e-waste were generated globally in 2022](https://unitar.org/about/news-stories/press/global-e-waste-monitor-2024-electronic-waste-rising-five-times-faster-documented-e-waste-recycling), according to the Global E-waste Monitor. **22.3%** was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound way. Which is a fairly spectacular way of saying most of it was not. **29.3 kg** approximate reported footprint of Fairphone Gen. 6, the lowest of the phones compared here. The aim is not finding a magical innocent rectangle. It is finding the phones doing** significantly less damage**. ### Fairphone Gen. 6 Fairphone Gen. 6 is the obvious sustainability benchmark ![Fairphone Gen. 6 sustainability report](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2025/09/fairphone-6.png) **Fairphone Gen. 6**[Read the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/) If you genuinely have to buy a brand-new phone, this is the one I would look at first. Fairphone reports roughly **29.3 kg CO₂e** for Gen. 6, around 30% below Fairphone 5. It says **51% of the device by weight** is fair or recycled material across 15 materials. There are **12 user-replaceable parts**. The battery, display, USB-C port and back cover are designed to be swapped. Spare parts and software support extend to 2033. [iFixit gave it **10/10 repairability**](https://www.ifixit.com/News/111613/fairphone-6-teardown-proof-phones-dont-have-to-be-disposable). This is what sustainable design looks like to me. Not a leaf icon. Not a beige box.** Making the expensive thing last.** Fairphone also reports living-wage bonuses, worker-condition programmes and material sourcing initiatives across its supply chain. Does that make it perfect? No. Fairphone itself uses credit systems for some minerals including cobalt. That is worth understanding properly rather than turning Fairphone into the ethical-tech Messiah. But if the rest of the phone industry copied its repairability tomorrow, that alone would be a massive improvement. ### Samsung Galaxy S25 Samsung Galaxy S25: fantastic environmental data, MUCH messier ethics ![Samsung Galaxy S25 sustainability report](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/ uploads/2025/06/Samsung-Galaxy-S25.webp) **Samsung Galaxy S25**[Read the full HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/samsung-galaxy-s25/) The Galaxy S25 is probably the cleanest example of why I refuse to make the Eco Score a morality score. The [product data](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/samsung-galaxy-s25/) is strong. [**45.7 kg CO₂e.**](https://www.samsung.com/global/sustainability/landing_hub-file/AZUXQCVKIiwALYMV/Galaxy_S25_Environmental_Report_EN.pdf) 50% recycled cobalt in the battery. Recycled aluminium, steel and copper. 100% recycled- paper box. Seven years of operating-system upgrades. Seven years of security updates. A serviceable battery and self-repair infrastructure. If I were only reading the product environmental report? Excellent. But sustainability cannot mean looking at the box and refusing to look at the factory. A former Samsung environmental, health and safety manager supplied internal material concerning Samsung operations and suppliers in Vietnam. Investigations have alleged chemical-management failures, pollution and worker-health and safety problems. Then UN human-rights experts sent allegation letters concerning Samsung operations in Vietnam, raising questions around chemical management, wastewater, air emissions, health and labour rights. Samsung disputes the characterisation and says its operations comply with applicable law and its internal standards. Good. Put Samsung’s response beside the allegations. But do NOT give me a recycled- paper box and expect the worker questions to vanish. [Read the allegation summary and Samsung response here.](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/vietnam-un-human-rights-experts-concern-over-samsungs-labour-rights-standards-and-chemical-management-incl-co-comments/) ### Nothing Phone 3a Pro Nothing Phone 3a Pro is doing more than I expected ![Nothing Phone 3a Pro sustainability report](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/ uploads/2025/06/Nothing-Phone-3a-Pro.png) **Nothing Phone 3a Pro**[Read the HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/nothing-phone-3a-pro/) The Nothing Phone 3a Pro reports around **51.3 kg CO₂e**. It uses 100% recycled aluminium in its mid-frame and buttons. More than 85% recycled steel across specified stamping parts. Recycled tin. Plastic-free packaging. That is decent. But then we get to the bit I care about most. The battery is still adhesive-sealed. The repair ecosystem is nowhere near Fairphone. The global take-back and refurbishment infrastructure is weaker than the giants. So it gets credit. It does not get worshipped. ### Apple iPhone 17 Apple iPhone 17: strong materials do not erase Apple ![Apple iPhone 17 sustainability report](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2025/09/iphone-17-sustainability.png) **iPhone 17**[Read the HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/iphone-17/) Environmentally, Apple has made some real improvements. I know some people do not want to hear that because Apple is Apple. But facts are facts. [Apple’s iPhone 17 Product Environmental Report](https://www.apple.com/th/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPhone_17_PER_Sept2025.pdf) says the phone uses 85% recycled aluminium in the enclosure and 100% recycled cobalt in the battery under Apple’s recycled-material accounting. Apple also reports recycled gold, tin, copper and rare earths across specific components. Those improvements belong in the data. **Does that mean I support Apple?** NO. Very much no. This is where my system has to be stronger than my opinion. The product gets the environmental facts it actually earned. The company gets investigated separately. #### Apple and Congo The Democratic Republic of Congo filed criminal complaints in France and Belgium in December 2024, alleging that conflict minerals linked to eastern Congo entered Apple’s supply chain. Apple disputed the allegations and said it had instructed suppliers not to source the minerals in question from Congo or Rwanda as conflict escalated. And this is exactly why I keep checking what happened AFTER the headline. [French prosecutors dismissed the French complaint in February 2025](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/paris-prosecutor-dismisses-case-against-apple-over-drc-conflict-minerals/), saying the allegations were not sufficiently well-founded. The Belgian proceeding was separate. I am not going to turn an allegation into a conviction because I dislike Apple. I am also not going to keep repeating an allegation after a legal development makes the status more complicated. **Allegation. Response. Outcome. All of it belongs here.** #### Apple’s manufacturing chain Foxconn’s iPhone manufacturing in India has faced scrutiny over allegations that some recruiters excluded married women from assembly roles. Foxconn says it prohibits discrimination. India’s human-rights watchdog later criticised an earlier investigation and ordered further examination. In 2026, Tamil Nadu pollution regulators issued a show-cause notice after allegations concerning wastewater from a Tata Electronics facility making iPhone components in Hosur. Then the story moved. [The pollution board later said Tata had satisfactorily answered its queries, water samples met the relevant norms and it was pursuing no further action on that notice.](https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/tamil-nadu-pollution-body-says-no-contamination-at-tata-s-hosur-facility-126061601428_1.html) A separate health-authority investigation into local complaints was also reported. Again: **allegation + response + what happened next.** Otherwise this just becomes corporate fan fiction in reverse. #### Apple, Arbaro and carbon offsetting Then there is Apple’s Arbaro Fund. Jesus Christ. **I have a whole investigation on this.** [Read: Apple’s Arbaro Fund Tree Planting Is Carbon Offsetting, Not Carbon Cutting →](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/) This section changed after the comments too. Under [my eucalyptus post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWzk7PcCaQC/), people from Australia, India, Spain, Colombia, Portugal and California started describing what large non-native eucalyptus plantings have looked like where they live. Fire risk. Water. Erosion. Native vegetation. Monoculture. And the question that kept coming up was basically: **when the plantation burns, dies, gets harvested or damages the ecosystem around it, where does THAT sit in the beautiful carbon-credit maths?** Exactly. Apple’s Restore Fund has invested in an Arbaro-managed forestry project in Paraguay involving commercial eucalyptus plantations. Apple describes its Restore Fund as a nature-based carbon-removal strategy. The Global Forest Coalition has criticised Arbaro’s eucalyptus plantation model in Paraguay over biodiversity, water, soil, land and community impacts, and describes the Paraguayan eucalyptus plantations as exotic, thirsty and fire-prone. And this is where corporate “tree planting” language drives me insane. **TREE = CARBON STORAGE = GOOD is not an ecological analysis.** What species? Native to where? What used to be on the land? How much water? What happens to the soil? What happens to food production? What happens when the trees are harvested? What happens in a wildfire? Who owns the project? Who profits from the timber? Who lives beside it? I do not want a company planting commercial monocultures in the Global South and then selling me the emotional experience of “we planted trees”. I want the emissions cut. Read [my full Arbaro investigation](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/) and the [Global Forest Coalition investigation](https://globalforestcoalition.org/arbaro-fund-paraguay/). ### Sony Xperia 1 VII Sony Xperia 1 VII wins the category nobody thinks about: packaging ![Sony Xperia 1 VII sustainability report](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/ uploads/2025/06/Sony-Xperia-1-VII.webp) **Sony Xperia 1 VII**[Read the HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/sony-xperia-1-vii/) Sony’s packaging work is genuinely interesting. The company’s Original Blended Material uses bamboo, sugarcane fibre and recycled paper, and Sony has progressively removed plastic from Xperia packaging. Good. The problem is that Sony’s public product-level disclosure for several individual metals is thinner than what I can get from Apple, Google or Samsung. So if I do not have the data? I leave it blank. I refuse to fill missing information with vibes. ### Google Pixel 10 Google Pixel 10 is one of the strangest contradictions here ![Google Pixel 10 sustainability report](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2025/09/google-pixel-10-sustainability.webp) **Pixel 10**[Read the HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/google-pixel-10/) The Pixel 10 has some brilliant recycled-material specifications. Recycled cobalt. Recycled aluminium. Recycled copper. Recycled tin. Plastic-free packaging. Seven years of support. Lovely. And then: **82 kg CO₂e.** This is why one excellent sustainability statistic does not automatically make an excellent sustainability product. A commenter under one of my Apple posts basically said: “surely the same can be said about Google?” YES. This entire database exists because I do not want to swap Apple fan fiction for Google fan fiction. If Google has good recycled-material data, record it. If the total footprint is high, record that too. Nothing gets a halo. ### Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is why I keep asking whether we actually need MORE phone ![Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold sustainability report](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/ uploads/2025/09/Google-Pixel-10-Pro-Fold-sustainability.webp) **Pixel 10 Pro Fold**[Read the HTT report →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/pixel-10-pro-fold/) I know. It folds. Everyone goes ooooooo. But the reported footprint is around **123 kg CO₂e**. The phone can contain meaningful recycled materials and still be an extremely resource- intensive object. Both things are true. Compare that with Fairphone Gen. 6 at around 29.3 kg. Different manufacturers use different LCA methodologies, so I am not pretending the ratio is laboratory-perfect. But the gap is large enough for me to ask a very simple question: **Did your phone really need to fold?** ## More storage, more emissions This one surprised me. The [iPhone 17 Pro Max report](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/apple-iphone-17-pro-max/) shows the reported footprint rising significantly with storage. * **256GB: 67 kg CO₂e** * **512GB: 77 kg** * **1TB: 95 kg** * **2TB: 134 kg** That 2TB figure is more than four times Fairphone Gen. 6’s approximate reported footprint. I am a filmmaker. Storage owns half of my soul. Some people genuinely need loads of it. I am saying: **buy what you actually need.** More phone is still more stuff. ## Huawei, Xiaomi and global supply chains First: can we stop saying “Asian brands” as though Asia itself is the ethical issue? Samsung is South Korean. Huawei and Xiaomi are Chinese. Sony is Japanese. Apple and Google are American. Fairphone is Dutch. Nothing is headquartered in London. And almost all of them rely on supply chains spread across Asia. Your “American” phone can contain African minerals, Taiwanese chips, Japanese components, Chinese or Indian assembly and Vietnamese subassemblies. So no. This is not WEST GOOD, ASIA BAD. The problems are worker exploitation, mineral sourcing, pollution, censorship, surveillance, unrepairable design, planned replacement, greenwashing and corporate power. Those problems cross borders extremely well. Capitalism has excellent logistics. ### Huawei As I am updating this in September 2026, [Huawei is on trial in U.S. federal court](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/huawei-heads-trial-us-over-its-business-dealings-iran-2026-09-08/) over allegations including trade-secret theft, business dealings connected with Iran and other offences. The case also includes allegations involving surveillance equipment reportedly used against Iranian protesters. Huawei denies wrongdoing and says U.S. prosecutors are mischaracterising legitimate business and unfairly attributing employee conduct to the whole company. This is not a recycled-plastic issue. But if we are discussing ethical technology, I am not going to decide surveillance allegations suddenly do not count because they are inconvenient for my spreadsheet. ### Xiaomi Xiaomi is a good lesson in why I also refuse to sensationalise an allegation just because it fits the story. Lithuania’s cybersecurity authority previously alleged a Xiaomi phone contained a content-filtering capability capable of detecting politically sensitive phrases. Xiaomi denied censoring users. [Germany’s federal cybersecurity authority then investigated Xiaomi devices for months and said it did not find evidence of censorship functions requiring further action.](https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/01/13/germany-security-china) I could leave the German finding out and make the paragraph much scarier. It would also make the journalism worse. ## Repairability and software support I cannot emphasise this enough. A beautiful unbleached cardboard box is lovely. If the phone inside becomes economically irreparable after three years, who cares? Fairphone is the benchmark. Samsung now gives the S25 seven years of software support. Google gives the Pixel 10 seven years. Apple has improved repair access over recent generations. And regulation is forcing the whole industry to move. [EU smartphone ecodesign rules applying since 20 June 2025](https://energy-efficient-products.ec.europa.eu/product-list/smartphones-and-tablets_en) include requirements around durability, repairability, batteries, spare parts and software support. Amazing what becomes possible when lawmakers stop politely asking. For years we were told removable batteries and repairable designs were basically impossible. Fairphone: **\*undoes screw\*** ## So what is the most sustainable phone in 2026? If you are forcing me to choose from the seven phones in this comparison? **Fairphone Gen. 6.** For me, it is the clearest combination of low reported emissions, repairability, longevity, material sourcing and attempts to improve the social side of production. Is it perfect? No. I literally just spent several paragraphs explaining why perfection does not exist here. But it is the phone currently pushing the industry in the direction I actually want it to go. ### My buying order My actual buying order is much more boring **1. Keep the phone you have.** If it works, keep it. **2. Repair it.** Professionally, preferably, after my flaming-battery situation. **3. Buy refurbished or second-hand.** A lot of you suggested exactly this under [my original broken-phone post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DBb93guN7qJ/), and I agree. **4. If you genuinely need new, buy for longevity.** Check support years. Check battery replacement. Check parts. Check repair manuals. Check emissions. Check the actual material percentages. Then check the company. Worker rights. Mineral sourcing. Pollution. Union behaviour. Factory safety. Surveillance. Censorship. Take-back. Greenwashing. That is why I built the [phone section](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/) instead of just writing “buy Fairphone” and going home. ### The phone you did not buy The greenest phone is still the phone you did not buy Thousands of words later and my recommendation is: **do not purchase anything.** Very useful sustainable shopping website I have built here 😂. But genuinely. One of the loudest themes in the comments was: **WE DO NOT NEED A NEW PHONE EVERY SINGLE YEAR.** And on that? I completely agree. We do not need a slightly better camera every year. We do not need to replace a functioning device because the corners changed. We do not need sustainability turned into another excuse to shop. Consumerism has become frighteningly good at selling environmental guilt back to us as another product. Buy the green bottle. Buy the recycled shoe. Buy the carbon-neutral watch. Buy the eco phone. Sometimes the genuinely sustainable choice is the one nobody can make money from.** Keep the one you already own.** ### What the evidence can tell us There is no ethical technology. But some technology does significantly less damage. That is ultimately the philosophy behind the [Hold The Throne sustainable phones section](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/). I do not think there is a completely ethical phone. I think there are phones with: lower emissions, more recycled material, better mineral sourcing, longer lives, better repairability, less plastic, better worker programmes, stronger transparency, and better end-of-life systems. Those are things we can measure and investigate. The Eco Score tells you what the evidence currently supports. It does NOT tell you:“ Cel loves this corporation.” Sometimes the exact opposite 😂. I can record Samsung’s excellent S25 product data and still investigate the allegations around Vietnam. I can record Apple’s recycled cobalt and still tell you its wider ethics trouble me enormously. I can praise Google’s recycled aluminium and then ask why the Pixel 10 reports 82 kg CO₂e. I can recommend Fairphone and still question its credit systems. **That is not inconsistency.** **That is the standard working.** **And eventually I may have no technology left anyway** At my current rate of destruction this problem may resolve itself. No phone. Cracked iPad. Laptop probably looking over its shoulder nervously. I am apparently conducting a personal degrowth experiment without meaning to. And strangely? I quite like it. There is something satisfying about no longer having a phone attached to my body. I still make films. I still run social media. I still research. I still build Hold The Throne. But slowly, device by device, I am becoming less interested in owning technology simply because everybody else does. Maybe that is the real sustainable-tech end point. Not the perfect phone. **Less dependence on one.** Use the data. Then make your own decision. ## Sustainable phone FAQ These are the questions that keep coming up in search, comments and messages. So here are the short answers without making you excavate them from the rest of this monster. What is the most sustainable phone in 2026? Of the seven phones compared in this investigation, **Fairphone Gen. 6** is the strongest new-phone option because it combines the lowest reported lifecycle footprint here with exceptional repairability, long support and stronger material-sourcing work. But my first answer is still: keep the phone you already own if it works. What actually makes a phone sustainable? Not one recycled-plastic percentage. I look at lifecycle emissions, repairability, battery and parts replacement, software support, expected life, recycled and responsibly sourced materials, packaging, end-of-life systems and the evidence behind the claims. Then I investigate the corporate ethics separately. Is a refurbished phone more sustainable than buying a new one? Often, yes. You are extending the useful life of a device that has already absorbed its manufacturing impact. But check battery health, warranty, repair history, remaining software support and whether replacement parts are still realistically available. Is Fairphone actually ethical? It is not impact-free and I am not giving it a halo. Phones still require mining, factories, energy, chemicals and global supply chains. Fairphone stands out here because of repairability, longevity, material programmes and worker initiatives. Its mineral-credit systems still deserve scrutiny. Is Samsung or iPhone more sustainable? There is no honest universal answer from one number. In this comparison the Galaxy S25 reports **45.7 kg CO₂e** and the iPhone 17 models shown here report roughly ** 55–61 kg CO₂e**, but manufacturers use different lifecycle-assessment methods. Compare repair, support, materials, sourcing and the wider company evidence too. Does more phone storage increase emissions? In Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max environmental reporting, yes. The figures used in this investigation rise from **67 kg CO₂e at 256GB** to **134 kg at 2TB**. More storage is more hardware. Buy what you actually need. Should I replace my working phone with a greener one? Usually, no. Keep it. Repair it. Then consider refurbished or second-hand. Buying a new “sustainable” phone every year rather spectacularly misses the point. ## Sources and evidence I link evidence throughout the investigation rather than hiding it at the bottom like homework nobody is supposed to check. These are some of the sources doing the heavy lifting. * [UNITAR / ITU Global E-waste Monitor 2024](https://unitar.org/about/news-stories/press/global-e-waste-monitor-2024-electronic-waste-rising-five-times-faster-documented-e-waste-recycling) for the global e-waste figures. * [ISO 14021](https://www.iso.org/obp/ui?_escaped_fragment_=iso%3Astd%3Aiso%3A14021%3Aed-3%3Av1%3Aen) for recycled-content and mass-balance language. * [European Commission smartphone and tablet ecodesign rules](https://energy-efficient-products.ec.europa.eu/product-list/smartphones-and-tablets_en). * [iFixit’s Fairphone 6 teardown and 10/10 repairability assessment](https://www.ifixit.com/News/111613/fairphone-6-teardown-proof-phones-dont-have-to-be-disposable). * [Apple Product Environmental Reports](https://www.apple.com/uk/environment/), [Samsung mobile Product Environmental Reports](https://www.samsung.com/sec/sustainability/focus/products/mobile/) and [Google Product Environmental Reports](https://sustainability.google/stories/). KEEP DIGGING ### Related Hold The Throne phone research [**All sustainable phone reports**Compare the wider phone database →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/) [**Fairphone Gen. 6 report**Open the full product evidence →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/fairphone-6/) [**Samsung Galaxy S25 report**See the product data →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/samsung-galaxy-s25/) [**iPhone 17 report**See the materials and footprint →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/iphone-17/) [**Google Pixel 10 report**See why the 82 kg figure matters →](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/google-pixel-10/) [**Apple’s Arbaro Fund investigation**Tree planting, carbon offsets and the questions behind them →](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/) [**The Throne Standard**How Hold The Throne scores evidence →](https://holdthethrone.com/the-throne-standard/) ## Compare sustainable phones on Hold The Throne If you want to go past this seven-phone comparison, browse the [**full sustainable phone database**](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/). Open the individual reports and compare emissions, recycled materials, repairability, longevity, packaging and evidence against [**The Throne Standard**](https://holdthethrone.com/the-throne-standard/). If you came here from Medium, you can get **50% off a full year of Hold The Throne** with code **MEDIUM**. Hopefully you use the database to buy less stuff. Possibly the worst promotional strategy I have ever created. But here we are. ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION **I’m Celina.** I make films, investigate supply chains and apparently read sustainability reports for fun now. I built Hold The Throne because “eco” marketing makes me suspicious and I wanted the evidence somewhere normal people could actually use it. [Find me on Instagram →](https://www.instagram.com/queenofvitality) [↑ Back to contents](https://holdthethrone.com/most-sustainable-phones-2026/#article-contents) ## Apple’s Arbaro Fund is carbon offsetting - Link: https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/ - Published: 2026-04-03T14:02:04+00:00 - Author: Queen of Vitality * [Apple & Arbaro Deal](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/#fund) * [Real Stories](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/#human) * [Verifying Carbon Credits](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/#verify) * [Invasive Species](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/#invasive) * [My Thoughts?](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/#thoughts) * [Help!](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/#help) * [Alternatives](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/#alts) * [Sources](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/#sources) ## Apple’s Arbaro Fund Tree Planting Is Carbon Offsetting, Not Carbon Cutting --- * **Tip Jar** * [Card](https://donate.stripe.com/7sYeVd16r4hvd6vgyN5os08) * [PayPal](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/paypal.me/queenofvitality) **Apple said “Every product. Every emission accounted for by 2030”. It sounds like one of the most ambitious corporate climate commitments in the world.** **But this is the lesser known reason why people (who know) are saying it’s a scam.** ## Tree planting is not the same as cutting emissions By now, you’ve probably heard about Apple’s big plan. [By 2030, every Apple device is supposed to have a net zero climate impact](https://www.apple.com/environment). Apple’s tree-planting projects, managed through the **Arbaro Fund**, are marketed as a “Restore Fund” for the planet. However, evidence from the ground in Paraguay reveals a toxic reality that contradicts this green image. * **Apple’s [carbon offsetting](https://holdthethrone.com/category/sustainable-tech/) is tied into a fund that ends soon:** The Arbaro Fund is a private equity structure with a 15-year lifespan; it is designed for a financial exit, not permanent forest conservation. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting is co-produced with timber revenue:** These are not“ forests” for nature; they are industrial wood factories designed to be clear- cut for commercial profit. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting involves planting invasive species in foreign lands:** The project replaces native ecosystems with **Eucalyptus**, an invasive, water- intensive species that creates a biological desert. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting uses toxic chemicals:** To keep these monocultures alive, massive amounts of [glyphosate](https://holdthethrone.com/eco-guide/tech-sustainability-digital-systems-emissions-data-privacy-and-misleading claims/) and other herbicides are used, creating a chemical-dependent landscape. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting causes irreversible damage:** The conversion of the Chaco and Atlantic Forest into industrial plots causes permanent, destructive changes to the soil chemistry and water table. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting leaves children with generational medical damage:** DNA “comet assay” tests performed by geneticists for the **“Green Warriors”** documentary found fragmentation in the DNA of local children, damage that is a precursor to cancer and genetic disorders. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting poisons the environment:** Chemical drift and runoff contaminate local groundwater and soil, creating a toxic “sacrifice zone” for the sake of distant carbon credits. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting causes a loss of biodiversity:** Sterile rows of a single tree species provide no habitat for native wildlife, leading to a total collapse of local flora and fauna. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting causes a loss of local foods:** Indigenous communities lose access to traditional foraging grounds, wild fruits, and honey, forcing a dependence on outside markets. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting threatens native trees:** The expansion of industrial plots encroaches on the remaining stands of native hardwoods and medicinal plants. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting violates indigenous laws:** The project has consistently bypassed the **Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)** process required by ILO Convention 169. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting violates national laws:** Operations frequently ignore** Paraguayan Law 3742/09**, which mandates 100-meter buffer zones and “living barriers” between spray zones and schools or homes. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting doesn’t calculate to what Apple says:** Independent analysis suggests the carbon accounting fails to factor in the emissions from chemical production, soil disturbance, or the eventual harvest and decay of the timber. * **Apple’s carbon offsetting allows Apple to “offset emissions” and claim carbon neutral:** This framework allows a trillion-dollar company to claim “Carbon Neutrality” on a balance sheet while the physical costs, poisoned water and damaged DNA, are offloaded onto the people of Paraguay. ## Apple & Arbaro Fund Carbon Offsetting / Timber Deal --- ## Apple’s Carbon Offsetting Strategy To reach carbon neutrality, Apple relies heavily on carbon offsetting. Instead of eliminating all emissions at the source, where the pollution happens Apple funds projects that are supposed to remove carbon from the atmosphere. In theory, this balances out the pollution created by manufacturing, supply chains, and product use. One of Apple’s key partners in this strategy is the **Arbaro Fund** a private equity fund focused on forestry investments. And this is where things get questionable. ## The Arbaro Partnership: Carbon Credits or Commodity Crops? **Apple has partnered with the Arbaro Fund, a private equity firm based in Luxembourg.** Together with Unique Forestry and Land Use, they are managing massive eucalyptus plantations in Paraguay and Brazil. * **Here is the mechanical reality of the deal** * **The Investment:** Apple pays for land preparation, irrigation, and herbicides. * **The “Credit”:** Apple receives carbon credits based on estimated $CO_2$ capture. * **The Reality:** These aren’t “forests” in the traditional sense; they are industrial monoculture plantations designed for profit. The Arbaro Fund’s primary objective is clear: generate financial returns. Apple’s objective is to reduce its reported emissions. These goals are not aligned with long-term climate stability. They are aligned with short-term accounting and profitability. ## The United Nations Connection: The Green Climate Fund (GCF) **I’ll never forget when I was in Bosnia and ‘United Nothing’ was grafitied around Sarajevo.** The specific vehicle for these investments is often the Arbaro Fund, which is backed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) [[source]](https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp128-50829-annual-performance-report-cy2024-v2.pdf), the UN’s flagship fund for helping developing nations limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_07_43_19.Still010. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_07_51_10.Still008. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_08_14_16.Still009. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_07_41_18.Still011. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_07_37_01.Still012. jpg) * **Here is the mechanical reality of the deal** * **The Investment (FP128):** In 2020, the GCF Board approved a $25 million equity investment into the Arbaro Fund (Project FP128). This effectively gave a “UN Seal of Approval” to industrial eucalyptus plantations in countries like Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. * **The Timeline & End Date:** This isn’t a permanent conservation effort; it is a time-bound financial product. The GCF-backed Arbaro Fund project has a completion date of October 30, 2035. * **The Exit Strategy:** Because this is private equity, the goal is to “exit” the investment by 2035. This usually means selling the mature timber plantations to the highest bidder – which could be another logging company or a biomass energy plant – raising questions about whether that “captured” carbon stays in the ground once the UN and Apple move on to the next project. ## The Industrial Forestry Timeline ## 2014 to 2035 ### **2014 to 2020:** The Foundation​ Thousands of hectares of eucalyptus are planted in the San Pedro and Canindeyú departments of Paraguay. At this stage, the project is a standard commercial timber operation, not a “carbon removal” initiative. ### **2015:** Operations Begin Industrial forest management and land preparation officially commence on the ground under what would become the Forestal San Pedro (FSP) framework. ### **March 12, 2020:** UN Financial Backing The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board officially approves a $25 million equity investment in the Arbaro Fund [[source]](https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp128-50829-annual-performance-report-cy2024-v2.pdf)( Project FP128), providing the institutional “green” seal of approval for these existing plantations. ### **July 21, 2020:** The Corporate Pledge Apple announces its goal to be 100% carbon neutral by 2030, explicitly stating it will rely on “nature-based solutions” to remove the final 25% of its carbon footprint. ### **October 27, 2020:** Human Rights Conflict Indigenous Qom leader Bernarda Pesoa is physically assaulted while protesting [[source]](https://www.amnesty.org/es/documents/amr45/3277/2020/es/) a eucalyptus plantation on ancestral lands in Benjamín Aceval. The project (by Fundación Paraguaya) aimed to sell biomass and wood for the following 10 years without obtaining Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). ### **April 16, 2021:** The Restore Fund Launch Apple, Goldman Sachs, and Conservation International launch the $200 million Restore Fund [[source]](https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2021/04/apple-and-partners-launch-first-ever-200-million-restore-fund/), scaling up the same industrial forestry models used by Arbaro to generate financial returns and carbon credits. ### **2022:** Expansion Forestal San Pedro continues acquiring and managing eucalyptus stands, including“ silvopastoral” systems (trees mixed with cattle grazing), aiming for a total of 8,000 hectares of industrial plantation. ### **October 30, 2035:** The Exit Date The official completion date for the UN-backed Arbaro investment. This is the “end of life” for the fund, where assets are scheduled to be sold off and the investment cycle closed. ## Human Impact of Carbon Offsetting Projects (real) --- ## Bernarda’s Story of Conflict and Violence **The following case involving Fundación Paraguaya (rather than Apple specifically) serves as a critical warning of what happens when industrial “tree planting” is forced upon indigenous territories.** Bernarda Pesoa is a leader of the Qom indigenous community in the Benjamín Aceval municipality of Paraguay. For nearly three decades, she has defended her people’s right to their ancestral lands, lands that provide their food, medicine, and cultural identity. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bernarda-Pesoa.jpg) **What happened to Bernarda Pesoa** In October 2020, Bernarda was physically assaulted by a group of approximately nine people [[source]](https://www.amnesty.org/es/documents/amr45/3277/2020/es/) after she stood in opposition to a eucalyptus plantation being developed on her community’s territory. The attackers, linked to proponents of the project, threatened to burn her home and continue the violence if she did not stop her resistance. * **Why They Resist** * The Qom people oppose these monocultures for the same reasons environmentalists are now questioning the “Restore Fund” model: * **Destruction of Ecosystems:** The plantation site was home to medicinal plants and native trees used for subsistence and traditional handicrafts * **Environmental Degradation:** Leaders warned that the eucalyptus monoculture would lead to the drying up of soil (erosion) and a critical loss of local biodiversity. * **Resource Depletion:** The community highlighted that the water needed to sustain these fast-growing trees would threaten the water security of the entire area. **The “Consent” Illusion** The lack of consent narrative is revolting.  Much like the corporate carbon projects we see today, the developer claimed they had an agreement with community leaders. However, the Qom people maintain that Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) was never properly obtained from all eight affected communities, a claim later confirmed by the Paraguayan Institute for Indigenous Peoples (INDI). **The Selling of Biomass** Biomass is simply organic material from plants, like these eucalyptus trees, grown specifically to be harvested and burned for industrial fuel or charcoal, a process that eventually releases all that “offset” carbon back into the atmosphere The motivation behind this specific project was not pure conservation. Just like the Arbaro Fund’s timber business, Fundación Paraguaya’s explicit goal was to sell biomass and wood from the eucalyptus over a ten-year period. Bernarda’s story is a reminder that when a company says “tree planting,” they might actually mean “industrial commodity crop”, and the people who live on that land often pay the price in blood. ## Resistance of Qom Women Against Monoculture Plantations **On October 27, 2020, a significant protest and subsequent physical altercation occurred in the Qom indigenous community of Santa Rosa, located in the Benjamín Aceval municipality of Paraguay. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Chaco-Paraguayo-Qom-Leticia- Galeano-corte-de-ruta-en-Transchaco.jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Chaco-Paraguayo-QOM-Leticia- Galeano-para-Fondo-de-Mujeres-del-Sur-2-2048x1365-1.jpg) The event and its ongoing aftermath are defined by the following details: **Core Reasons for the Protest** **Lack of Legal Consent:** The protesters and the Paraguayan Institute for Indigenous Peoples (INDI) confirmed that the developers, Fundación Paraguaya, did not conduct a Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process. This is a mandatory legal requirement under Paraguayan Law 1039 and ILO Convention 169 for any project affecting indigenous territories. **Environmental Destruction:** The Qom women, many of whom are traditional artisans, argue that eucalyptus plantations dry out the soil and deplete water resources. They depend on the native ecosystem for medicinal plants and raw materials like carandillo fibers for their handicrafts. **Economic Exclusion:** The project was reportedly negotiated with select leaders behind closed doors, creating a “business of poverty” that divided the community. Protesters argue the long-term environmental damage outweighs any short-term financial promises made by the foundation. **Escalation in April 2021 when Bernarda was attacked** These protests represent a broader struggle in the Paraguayan Chaco, where indigenous women are at the forefront of resisting industrial “green” projects that they claim bypass local laws and threaten their cultural survival. Following the initial 2020 attack, tensions peaked again on **April 17, 2021**, when Bernarda Pesoa received fresh death threats [[source]](https://agenciapresentes.org/2021/04/20/la-defensora-ambiental-qom-bernarda-pesoa-denuncia-amenazas-de-muerte-en-paraguay/) via social media and audio messages. * **Institutional Failure:** Protesters pointed out that despite a court-ordered“ no-contact” injunction against the 2020 attackers, the order was ignored. * **The Demand for Safety:** On **April 20, 2021**, the police attempted to hold a meeting in the San Francisco de Asís community. However, the protesters denounced this meeting because it was held in the territory of the aggressors, which they viewed as an act of institutional bias that ignored the safety and rights of the victims.   ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Captura-de-pantalla-2021- 04-20-a-las-14.00.15.png) ## Carbon Offsetting Pesticides Are Poisoning a Generation **If you are planting a monoculture on an industrial scale, you are using an industrial amount of pesticides too.** ## Poisoning the ground. The food. The nature. The people. **A school is located just 30m away from one of Apple’s offsetting plantations. That is illegal.** ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_00_57_06.Still017. jpg) **Schools in the Line of Fire** In communities like Santa Rosa, industrial plantations sit immediately adjacent to residential areas and local schools. This proximity violates basic safety standards, as schools are frequently caught in the “drift” of chemical spraying. Despite the marketing of these projects as environmentally friendly, they rely on intensive applications of glyphosate and other herbicides to ensure the rapid growth of the monoculture. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_15_15_10.Still019. jpg) **Violation of Paraguayan Law. This is illegal** But Apple are above the law, right? The current situation directly breaks **Paraguayan Law 3742/09**, which regulates the control of phytosanitary products for agricultural use. According to the law: * A **100-meter buffer zone** must be maintained for ground-based spraying near schools, health centers, and residential areas. *   * A **200-meter buffer zone** is required for aerial spraying. * **Barriers of protection** (living curtains of trees) must be established to prevent chemical drift. In many project sites, these barriers are non-existent or insufficient, allowing chemicals to settle directly on school playgrounds and family gardens. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Eucalipto-apepu-40.jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/a7ef061f-ed00-4a9a-9566- d8c1aff5ffec_8256x6192.webp) **The “Green Warriors” Investigation: Tests on Children** The documentary series “Green Warriors” (specifically the episode “Paraguay’s Poisoned Fields”) documented the physical toll of this proximity [[source]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiP1l7jlIIA&t=462s). Working with a team of geneticists, the investigators conducted comet assays (DNA tests) on children living near these plantations. * **Genetic Damage:** The tests revealed that children exposed to the pesticides had significantly higher levels of DNA damage compared to those in unexposed areas. * **The Findings:** The study showed “comets” in the DNA of the children, a clear indicator of genetic fragmentation caused by chronic exposure to agrochemicals. This damage is a precursor to cancer, respiratory illnesses, and congenital malformations. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/46ec0fa9-af30-4aae-9e21- 92c1bbdd0bb1_737x357.webp) **Critical and Irreversible Risks** Internal documents and independent assessments of the industrial forestry sector in Paraguay categorize these health and environmental impacts in severe terms. The Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) for major plantation funds often acknowledge that without stringent mitigation, the risks to local populations are: * **Critical:** Meaning the impact on human health and local water sources is of the highest priority and requires immediate intervention. * **Irreversible:** The genetic damage found in children and the long-term contamination of the soil and local aquifers cannot be easily undone. Once the biodiversity of the native Chaco is replaced by a chemical-dependent monoculture, the ecosystem services that the Qom and other communities rely on, such as clean water and medicinal plants, are permanently altered. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1755865596433.jpeg) **The irony of carbon offsetting emissions to sell more products, while poisoning people and the environment at the same time** The irony of “Carbon Offsetting” in this context is that while a corporation in the Global North claims a reduction in its carbon footprint, the children in the Global South are left with a permanent biological footprint of toxic exposure. ## Irreversible Risk: Chemicals and Community Impact **The documentation for Foresta, one of the projects in Paraguay, is chilling.** ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_06_02_19.Still014. jpg) **The document explicitly lists the use of aggressive agrochemicals like glyphosate and fipronil as “high risk.”** * **The impact is felt most by the locals** * **Health Hazards:** There is a school located just 30 meters away from a plantation where children breathe in these chemicals daily. * **Resource Depletion:** These vast eucalyptus monocultures use staggering amounts of water, drying up local sources. * **Violence:** Local communities fighting to protect their native forests and livelihoods from these plantations have reported being met with threats and physical assault. ## Toxic Chemicals and Public Health Risks Project documentation linked to these plantations explicitly flags the use of agrochemicals as a high-risk factor. Herbicides and pesticides, including substances like glyphosate and fipronil, are used at scale at plantations which are located extremely close to communities and schools. Adults and children are exposed daily. And according to the documentation, the risks are not temporary, they are described as having irreversible impacts. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_14_58_08.Still018. jpg) ## Impact on Local Communities For local communities, these projects are not abstract climate solutions. They affect land access, food systems, and livelihoods. Native forests are replaced with commercial plantations. Agricultural land is lost. Water sources are impacted. And when communities resist these developments, there are documented cases of threats, intimidation, and violence. **This is the human cost of carbon offsetting at scale.** ## How Carbon Credits “Calculation” Actually Work --- ## How Apple’s Carbon Credits Actually Work Apple funds the development and maintenance of these plantations, covering land preparation, planting, irrigation, and chemical use. In return, the projects generate carbon credits. These credits represent the estimated amount of CO2 the trees are expected to absorb over time. Apple then counts these credits toward its emissions reductions. But there’s a critical detail: These are not measurements of carbon already removed. They are projections based on future tree growth. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/apple-1st-anonuce-scaled- e1775238494429.png) ## How Carbon Credits Verified Through Verra & The VCS The projects Apple invests in (via the Restore Fund) typically seek certification through Verra, the world’s largest voluntary carbon market registry. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_12_03_07.Still006. jpg) ## The Methodology For Verifying Carbon Credits Projects must follow the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). For monoculture plantations, this often falls under “Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation” (ARR). ## The Conflict of Interest Critics point out that Verra-approved projects are often audited by third-party firms paid for by the project developers themselves. This creates a “pay-to-play” incentive structure where overstating carbon capture( to issue more sellable credits) is a recurring controversy. ## The Additionality Question To get onto the Verra registry, a project must prove “additionality”, that the trees wouldn’t have been planted without the carbon credit money. If a timber company was already planning to plant eucalyptus for profit, claiming“ carbon credits” for it is considered “double-dipping” by environmental economists. ## The “Carbon Permanence” Problem: A Profit-Maximizing Scenario **The biggest secret of these offsetting projects is that they aren’t permanent.** Eucalyptus is a fast-growing wood commodity. In these regions, the harvest rotation is typically 10 to 13 years. Apple’s partner is a private equity fund. Their primary goal is to return money to investors, not to save the planet. If the timber market is high, these trees can be harvested, burned for charcoal, or sold as assets. **The Carbon Trap:** If the trees are cut down, the captured carbon is released back into the atmosphere. This makes the carbon credits, which Apple uses to claim“ neutrality”, completely worthless for long-term climate stability. **Eucalyptus is an invasive species – this is serious.** --- ## Eucalyptus Monocultures in Paraguay and Brazil ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Agroquimicos-4.jpg.webp) Eucalyptus is a fast-growing wood commodity. In these regions, the harvest rotation is typically 10 to 13 years. Apple’s partner is a private equity fund. Their primary goal is to return money to investors, not to save the planet. If the timber market is high, these trees can be harvested, burned for charcoal, or sold as assets. The projects linked to Apple’s carbon credits are primarily eucalyptus plantations in countries like Paraguay and Brazil. Eucalyptus is fast-growing, highly profitable, and widely used in industrial forestry. But it is also an invasive species in many of these regions. These plantations are not diverse forests. They are monocultures. A monoculture is a single-species plantations designed for maximum yield, not ecological health. ## The Carbon Offsetting Numbers Don’t Add Up According to Apple’s latest reports, their total emissions sit at roughly 14.5 million metric tons. Meanwhile, the total carbon sequestered in the Paraguay projects is roughly 749,351 tons. That accounts for only 5% of Apple’s emissions for a single year. The scale is nowhere near where it needs to be, and the “sequestration” hasn’t even happened yet, it is a project built entirely on future assumptions and soil carbon estimates. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_10_11_08.Still007. jpg) **Even on paper, the carbon credit offsetting numbers don’t fully add up.** Apple’s annual emissions are in the tens of millions of metric tonnes. The carbon credits generated by these projects represent only a small fraction of that total. So even if everything worked perfectly, which it doesn’t, the scale is nowhere near enough. ## The Problem With Carbon Credit Estimates * **Carbon credits in forestry projects are based on assumptions** * That the trees will survive * That they will remain standing for decades * **None of this has happened yet – but they have still claimed the estimated credits?** **This is the core issue. Assumptions are not true.** Carbon offsetting allows companies to balance emissions on paper without reducing them at the source. It creates the appearance of climate action while shifting responsibility elsewhere, often to regions with fewer protections and lower costs. And when those offsets are tied to commercial extraction, the credibility breaks down even further. ## So what is the solution? --- ## The Bottom Line * **Apples tree planting projects with Arbaro fund are:** * Are tied into a fund which ends soon * Planting invasive species in foreign lands * Use toxic chemicals * Cause Irreversible damage * Poison the environment * Cause loss of biodiversity * Cause loss of local foods * Threaten native trees * Violate indigenous laws * Violate national laws * Don’t calculate to what Apple say * Allow Apple to “offset emissions” and claim carbon neutral ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bernarda-Pesoa.jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Eucalipto-apepu-40.jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_07_43_19.Still010. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_07_51_10.Still008. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_08_14_16.Still009. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_07_41_18.Still011. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_07_37_01.Still012. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_15_15_10.Still019. jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Captura-de-pantalla-2021- 04-20-a-las-14.00.15.png) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Chaco-Paraguayo-Qom-Leticia- Galeano-corte-de-ruta-en-Transchaco.jpg) ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arbaro.00_10_11_08.Still007. jpg) **Every day, people say carbon offsetting is a “scam,”** **Apple may reach its carbon neutral targets on paper.** When people call carbon offsetting a “scam,” this is exactly what they mean. Apple may reach its “carbon neutral” goals on paper, but the climate benefit is a mirage. If the trees are harvested or burned after the fund exits in 2035, the carbon goes straight back into the atmosphere. ![](https://holdthethrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/apple-200mil-scaled-e1775239389608. png) **What we missed** **Did we even address…** The displacement of local communities and small-scale farmers who often lose access to land when it is consolidated into massive, fenced-off industrial forestry blocks? Or the fact that these “forests” are essentially biological deserts, where the dense canopy of a single exotic species prevents the growth of native flora and fails to support local wildlife? Or that the carbon “removal” being sold to us assumes these trees will stand for centuries, yet they are often destined to be harvested and burned for industrial fuel within a decade? **The light is that not all tree planting projects are the same.** The irony isn’t on me that I am writing this from a Macbook (bought for me by work partners). The reason I’m bringing this up is because of awareness. I have been filming at the mangroves in Colombia, British Virgin Islands and Senegal. I have good tree planting projects to share soon. There are some good ones, absolutely. And with this awareness we can demand that companies like Apple redirect their investment into projects that restore native ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and prioritise long-term carbon storage over short- term returns. ## Best Sustainable Laptops, Phones and iPads? I’ve created an [eco electronics directory](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/) of all of the latest [laptops](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/laptops/), [phones](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/) and [cases](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/cases/) with their sustainability information.  But the reality is that. [Sustainable technology](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/) does not exisit. Even if you buy a Fairphone, or an energy efficient Macbook There is no such thing as [eco tech](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/). That’s as far as we can go. “knowing the details”  But they all emit heavilly, they all send Africans into the belly of the earth to rip out cobalt, litium etc..  They all thrive on mass consumerism, upgrades and dependability. So the Sustainable [Electronics directory](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/) pages are all I can give right now.  REMEMBER to: Buy second hand if you can **What do I use?** This is nothing to celebrate since I’m dancing devils. But for transparency purposes. * **Laptop:** Macbook Pro M4  * **Phone:** Google Pixel 7  ## With love and light --- ## From me to you, with love and light My loves, there is a lot here. Take this how you want. Now you are aware, go do your own digging. I’m in a period of grievance for the year.  So instead of mass engagement, below are the sources.  With love and light, QOV x ## Support my work * **Tip Jar** * [Card](https://donate.stripe.com/7sYeVd16r4hvd6vgyN5os08) * [PayPal](https://holdthethrone.com/apple-arbaro-fund/paypal.me/queenofvitality) I am a missionary for mother nature.  Along with sharing information on my personal Instagram, YouTube and TikTok accounts Right now im filming Season 1 of a show about ethical consumption, at the source– around the world.  I left the corporate world after over a decade at a C Level to devote my life to making a positive impact through at the source reporting and film making.  We’re doing this together.  So any amount helps me cover the logistics.  I promise we are making an impact.  I get 4-10 Million monthly views, and even if 1% of people make a change, that’s EPIC.  ## Sustainable Technology --- I’ve created an [eco electronics directory](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/) of all of the latest [laptops](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/laptops/), [phones](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/) and [cases](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/cases/) with their sustainability information.  But the reality is that. [Sustainable technology](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/) does not exisit. Even if you buy a Fairphone, or an energy efficient Macbook There is no such thing as [eco tech](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/). That’s as far as we can go. “knowing the details”  But they all emit heavilly, they all send Africans into the belly of the earth to rip out cobalt, litium etc..  They all thrive on mass consumerism, upgrades and dependability. So the Sustainable [Electronics directory](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/) pages are all I can give right now.  REMEMBER to: Buy second hand if you can **What do I use?** This is nothing to celebrate since I’m dancing devils. But for transparency purposes. * **Laptop:** Macbook Pro M4  * **Phone:** Google Pixel 7  ## Sources --- ### **Corporate & Project Reports** **Apple Environmental Progress Report 2025** [https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Progress_Report_2025.pdf](https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Progress_Report_2025.pdf) **Arbaro Sustainability Report 2023 to 2024** [https://www.arbaro-advisors.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications_Arbaro_fund_I/Arbaro_Sustainability_Report_2023_2024-09-16_16-9_linked.pdf](https://www.arbaro-advisors.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications_Arbaro_fund_I/Arbaro_Sustainability_Report_2023_2024-09-16_16-9_linked.pdf) **Forestal San Pedro (FSP) Environmental and Social Impact Assessment** [https://www.arbaro-advisors.com/fileadmin/documents/Investment_Documents/Forestal_San_Pedro_-_ESIA_Paquete_de_informacion.pdf](https://www.arbaro-advisors.com/fileadmin/documents/Investment_Documents/Forestal_San_Pedro_-_ESIA_Paquete_de_informacion.pdf) **Forestal San Pedro Management Plan Public Summary** [https://www.unique-wood.com/es/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/12/2022_FSP_Resumen-Publico-PMF.pdf](https://www.unique-wood.com/es/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/12/2022_FSP_Resumen-Publico-PMF.pdf) **PAYCO 2023 Management Plan Public Summary** [https://payco.com.py/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Resumen-publico-y-PMF-2023.pdf](https://payco.com.py/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Resumen-publico-y-PMF-2023.pdf) **Unique Land Use: Commercial Forest Management in Paraguay** [https://www.unique-landuse.de/en/projects/1940-commercial-forest-plantation-management-in-paraguay/](https://www.unique-landuse.de/en/projects/1940-commercial-forest-plantation-management-in-paraguay/) --- ### **Institutional & UN Funding Documents** **Green Climate Fund: Arbaro Fund Annual Performance Report CY2024** [https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp128-50829-annual-performance-report-cy2024-v2.pdf](https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp128-50829-annual-performance-report-cy2024-v2.pdf) **World Bank: A Forest’s Worth – Policy Options for Paraguay** [https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/627201608179954710/pdf/A-Forest-s-Worth-Policy-options-for-a-sustainable-and-inclusive-forest-economy-in-Paraguay.pdf](https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/627201608179954710/pdf/A-Forest-s-Worth-Policy-options-for-a-sustainable-and-inclusive-forest-economy-in-Paraguay.pdf) **UNCCD: Global Land Outlook – LAC Region** [https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/2022-04/GLO%20LAC%20ENGLISH_WEB.pdf](https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/2022-04/GLO%20LAC%20ENGLISH_WEB.pdf) --- ### **Human Rights & Environmental Investigations** **Amnesty International: Indigenous Land Defender Attacked (Bernarda Pesoa)** [https://www.amnesty.org/es/documents/amr45/3277/2020/es/](https://www.amnesty.org/es/documents/amr45/3277/2020/es/) **Global Forest Coalition: Arbaro Paraguay Summary** [https://globalforestcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Arbaro-paraguay-summary.pdf](https://globalforestcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Arbaro-paraguay-summary.pdf) **Agencia Presentes: Environmental Defender Denounces Death Threats** [https://agenciapresentes.org/2021/04/20/la-defensora-ambiental-qom-bernarda-pesoa-denuncia-amenazas-de-muerte-en-paraguay/](https://agenciapresentes.org/2021/04/20/la-defensora-ambiental-qom-bernarda-pesoa-denuncia-amenazas-de-muerte-en-paraguay/) **Green Warriors (Documentary): Paraguay’s Poisoned Fields** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiP1l7jlIIA&t=462s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiP1l7jlIIA&t=462s) **Consen.so: Apple Buys Carbon Credits from Eucalyptus** [https://consen.so/p/apple-buys-carbon-credits-from-eucalyptus](https://consen.so/p/apple-buys-carbon-credits-from-eucalyptus) --- ### **News & Announcements** **Apple Newsroom: $200 Million Restore Fund Launch (2021)** [https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2021/04/apple-and-partners-launch-first-ever-200-million-restore-fund/](https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2021/04/apple-and-partners-launch-first-ever-200-million-restore-fund/) **Apple Newsroom: Restore Fund Roots in the Atlantic Forest (2024)** [https://www.apple.com/gr/newsroom/2024/03/apples-restore-fund-cultivates-new-roots-in-the-atlantic-forest/](https://www.apple.com/gr/newsroom/2024/03/apples-restore-fund-cultivates-new-roots-in-the-atlantic-forest/) Apple pulls the same accounting move with its materials. We take that one apart in [the mass balance loophole, why Apple’s 100% recycled cobalt promise isn’t what it seems](https://holdthethrone.com/the-mass-balance-loophole-why-apples-100-recycled-cobalt-promise-isnt-what-it-seems/). If you want hardware judged on what it is actually made of and whether it lasts, we keep an honest [eco electronics directory](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/) of the lowest impact [laptops](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/laptops/), [phones](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/phones/) and [cases](https://holdthethrone.com/electronics/cases/). ## Latest Sustainable Clothing Brand Data Reports ## More Great Articles From Hold The Throne ## Latest Data Reports