25: Sustainable laptop? How Framework is Challenging Traditional Tech Industry Norms. Interview with Founder Nirav Patel

SustainNOW Podcast - Exploring Climate Solutions with Innovators and Entrepreneurs

Nirav Patel, founder and CEO of Framework, shares the vision behind his innovative company that aims to tackle the massive environmental impact of consumer electronics. Framework was founded in 2019 with a bold mission: to create products that are long-lasting and sustainable. After working as an engineer at major tech companies like Apple, Meta (Facebook), and Oculus VR, Nirav took the leap into entrepreneurship, driven by his desire to reduce e-waste and its environmental consequences.

Framework’s first product is a fully customizable, high-performance laptop designed to minimize e-waste. Unlike traditional laptops, which are built with non-replaceable parts and quickly become obsolete, Framework laptops are modular and upgradable. Users can easily swap out components like memory, storage, and ports, ensuring the laptop remains functional and relevant as technology advances. This approach helps extend the lifespan of the product and reduces the need for constant replacements, ultimately cutting down on the 40 million tons of e-waste generated globally each year.

In this episode, Nirav talks about how his background in the tech sector influenced his approach to building a more sustainable business model. He explains how Framework ensures product longevity, handles repairs, and uses more sustainable materials. He also shares his company’s goals for impact and sustainability, including measures to address the "end of product lifetime" and reduce waste. Framework’s modular laptops are currently available in nine countries, with plans for further expansion.

Throughout the episode, Nirav emphasizes the importance of passion and a clear sense of purpose when building a company in the climate tech space. He highlights how the traditional electronics business model, focused on maximizing device sales, is at odds with sustainability, and how Framework is challenging that mindset. He also offers valuable advice for other founders in the climate tech sector, encouraging them to remain focused on the bigger mission of solving global challenges.

Key quotes from Nirav include:

• "If you are starting any kind of company, you should have a problem that you are passionate about fixing; that challenge is probably going to crush you if you don’t have the passion to follow it through."
• "Manufacturing is responsible for over 75% of the carbon emissions. The short window of time where the product is made vastly exceeds the carbon emissions of the entire lifetime of the product."
• "The best thing we can do is make sure that you can use a [consumer electronic] product for longer."

Framework represents a shift in how we think about consumer electronics, from disposable devices to long-lasting, repairable products that help reduce waste and environmental harm.

Capíttulos

1. 25: Sustainable laptop? How Framework is Challenging Traditional Tech Industry Norms. Interview with Founder Nirav Patel (00:00:00)

2. What is your driving force? (00:00:57)

3. What is something you learned in your prior work in the tech sector that you have translated into your current company framework? (00:02:50)

4. How do you make a sustainable business model? (00:06:45)

5. How do you handle product repair? (00:08:00)

6. Can you tell us more about the product? (00:10:00)

7. How do you make the products more sustainable on the material side? (00:14:18)

8. What types of goals do you have for impact and sustainability in your product? (00:15:10)

9. What measures are being put in place for sustainability at "end of product lifetime"? (00:17:00)

10. What are the products available? (00:19:00)

11. Who are your target customers? (00:20:00)

12. What are your end goals for this company? (00:23:00)

13. How big is Framework currently? (00:24:00)

14. Have you raised money so far? (00:25:00)

15. What are your top tips for founders in climate tech? (00:25:30)

16. If you were to restart your journey, would it look the same? (00:26:50)

17. Do you have a book recommendation? (00:27:15)

18. How can people contact you? (00:28:10)