Irish SME MicroPro has been given the enviable task of building the most eco-friendly tablet computer on the planet, with help from 18 European companies and research agencies.
MicroPro is Ireland’s sole representative in the sustainablySMART project, funded as part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 funding Factories of the Future Programme, which aims to help manufacturers develop more efficient production methods.
And now, as one of the 18 companies signed up to the project, MicroPro will look to replicate what it has done with its Iameco range of desktops and laptops, which are manufactured from renewable and recycled materials, reducing its environmental impact by as much as 70pc.
The company received international recognition earlier this year after picking up the grand prize at the Irish finals of the Energy Globe Awards and it will now spend the next 18 months designing a tablet that is upgradable, reusable and self-repairable.
The entire project is expected to take 50 months to complete with the final product being manufactured in Ireland before being shipped around the world.
The other sustainablySMART partners will also be contributing resources and technical know-how to the MicroPro team, including I-Fixit, Fairphone and ATS&S Authotechnik.
“We are pleased to once again be working with industry and green electronics leaders developing excellent products that are both Irish and European,” said MicroPro’s director, Paul Maher. “We would at this stage like to thank the various bodies that have made this step forward possible, such as the EPA, Enterprise Ireland, the Fraunhofer Institute and the European Commission, and the many other partners and associates that we have had the pleasure of working with and look forward to working with in this new endeavour.”
Girl on tablet image via Shutterstock
