The planned abandonment of Windows 10 could have very tangible consequences on the environment. We learn that this decision would involve the scrapping of hundreds of millions of PCs… thereby generating a mountain of e-waste.
240 million PCs would be good for landfill in the medium term, representing around 480 million kilos of e-waste… the equivalent of 320,000 cars. The figures are dizzying, and if Microsoft sticks to its Windows 10 phase-out program, they could be confirmed within just a few years.
These dire forecasts come from the analysis firm Canalys Research, which indicates that a large part of these millions of computers could end up in landfills following the end of support for their OS, announced by Microsoft for 2028 at most. Worse, the firm estimates that most of these machines would be functional when abandoned, but scrapped anyway, because they were software obsolete and incapable of receiving the slightest security update.
An ecological disaster which would occur, ironically, while Microsoft is supposed to adopt a more environmentally friendly policy. The objective stated by the firm is also ambitious, since it claims to want to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 by having, in the process, offset all of its emissions since its creation.
Windows 10 abandoned in 2028… or even before if you don’t want to pay
As Reuters points out, Microsoft plans to provide security updates for Windows 10 until 2028. To take advantage of this extended support, however, you will have to put your hand in your pocket, through a subscription program annual, the pricing of which remains to be specified. Users who do not wish to pay will see the end of service in October 2025… i.e. in less than two years.
Note also that the paid solution allowing security updates to continue until 2028 will likely be less advantageous (especially for companies with large PC fleets) than migrating to a new computer equipped with Windows 11. what reinforces Canalys in its forecasts.
Contacted by Reuters, Microsoft has not yet provided any comments regarding the environmental impact of these measures. However, it is a safe bet that the firm will seek to minimize it by mentioning the possible recycling of these machines and their components.
In this regard, we know for example that the batteries contained in laptop PCs contain metals (such as lithium, copper, cobalt or even nickel) which can be recycled practically infinitely. Hard drives from old PCs can also be recycled. Certain elements contained inside HDDs are indeed valuable since they can be reused in electric car engines.
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