Category rating — not an assessment of any specific brand
This rating covers a typical, mass-market
home appliances product based on publicly available data.
It does not name or assess any specific manufacturer or product.
Individual products may perform better or worse.
Learn about verified ratings →
Below HIP Mark threshold
Score 2.6/10 — Standard mark requires 6.0
Standard
Silver
Gold
Category best achievable: 6.6
Depleting — materials are being used up with no way to replace them
This is what a typical robot vacuum cleaner looks like today. It's built to last longer than the typical one. If the maker shares their data, the score usually goes up.
Category baseline
2.6 HIP
Below Standard
Category ceiling: 6.6 HIP
Regenerative Index
-7.0
Depleting
Category ceiling RI: -2.0
What this score means
This is the starting score for Robot Vacuum Cleaners, based only on public data. No maker has sent us
their own data yet. The ceiling score (shown below) is what a product can reach when the maker
shares real evidence. To close the gap, makers apply for a verified rating.
Make this product? You can raise this score.
The starting score for this category is 2.6 HIP.
With full evidence, a product in this category can reach 6.6 HIP.
Our first verified product scored 6.9 and earned the HIP Mark.
Share your product data and we score what you can prove.
Apply for verified assessment
What to Check Before You Buy
- Find the software-support commitment in writing. If the maker does not publish a minimum number of years of firmware updates, assume the worst. A robot vacuum with no software floor is on a software lifespan, full stop.
- Check whether the unit can run without the cloud. If the companion app is the only way to start a clean, the device dies the day the cloud does. Local control via Bluetooth, a physical button, or a local network protocol (Matter, HomeKit, MQTT (a local network standard)) is the difference between a device with two lives and one.
- Confirm a screw-fastened battery and main board. Replaceable brushes and filters are not enough. The failures that retire most robot vacuums are battery decay (3-4 years) and main-board wear (after a few thousand cycles). Both should be user-replaceable.
- Check the warranty length and the take-back path. Two years is the EU floor. A four- or five-year warranty signals confidence. A take-back scheme is the only proper end-of-life route for a lithium-ion battery.
We do not name brands. The four checks above are visible on any maker's product page — though "minimum software support years" is the one most often missing. That absence is itself a signal.
From our full buyer's guide →
Score Breakdown
How rare are the materials?
MSI · 20%
1.5
Why this score ▸
The product relies heavily on critical raw materials including lithium, cobalt, neodymium, and rare earth elements, all listed on the EU Critical Raw Materials list. With zero recycled content and an assembly location in China, which dominates global supply for these materials, the product exhibits high supply concentration risk and scarcity.
Where do the materials come from?
SCR · 18%
2.5
Why this score ▸
The robot vacuum cleaner relies on rare earth elements and copper, with rare earths predominantly sourced from China (high concentration risk) and cobalt potentially from the DRC, both flagged as high-risk jurisdictions. Due to the lack of submitted due diligence standards, audit verification, or alternative suppliers, the supply chain is critically vulnerable to geopolitical and governance shocks.
Can it be recycled?
RC · 18%
2.0
Why this score ▸
The product is assumed to be glued with no take-back scheme, rendering material separation impractical without specialist equipment. Only an estimated 20% of the weight (primarily metals) enters practical recycling streams, while the majority of plastics and heating elements are landfilled. This aligns with the baseline for sealed consumer electronics lacking design for disassembly.
Can you fix it?
R · 13%
3.0
Why this score ▸
The robot vacuum is assumed to be glued shut with no public service manual, making disassembly destructive. Although spare parts are available, the lack of a parts commitment and the use of adhesive result in a 'Difficult to Repair' rating typical of mass-market small appliances.
Is it made fairly?
SEI · 8%
3.5
Why this score ▸
The product is manufactured in China, a moderate-to-high risk jurisdiction, with no submitted third-party audits, environmental certifications, or modern slavery statements. While ILO compliance is not claimed, the absence of verified evidence places the score in the elevated risk range.
How long will it last?
PL · 8%
4.0
Why this score ▸
The product receives a score of 4.0 based on a 2-year warranty and an estimated design life of 5 years, which aligns with typical mass-market small appliance norms. The lack of a stated IP rating or modular design prevents a higher score, as the product relies on standard fasteners rather than user-replaceable components.
Does it give back to nature?
RI · 15% · scale −10 to +10
-7.0
Why this score ▸
The product is classified as Depleting because it relies on virgin mined materials with zero recycled content and lacks any take-back or end-of-life recovery scheme. Not Depleting because recycled content >= 50% with verified take-back does not apply, as the product has 0% recycled content and no take-back program.
MSI 20% · SCR 18% · RC 18% · R 13% · SEI 8% · PL 8% · RI 15% = 100%
About the HIP Methodology ▸
Starting scores are low on purpose. We only count what we can confirm from public data,
so most products sit between 2 and 4 out of 10 before a maker shares their own evidence.
That gap between the starting score and what a product could reach is the whole point.
When a maker proves what their product is really made of, the score goes up.
The HIP Mark shows it has been checked.
Read the full methodology →
Consumer Summary
This robot vacuum cleaner has a low overall sustainability rating of 2.3 out of 10, indicating significant environmental challenges. Its Regenerative Index of -7.0 shows that the product relies heavily on new materials mined from the earth rather than recycled content, making it difficult to reuse or repair at the end of its life.
What This Means For You
When shopping for a robot vacuum, look for models that explicitly state they use recycled materials and offer a clear repair or recycling program. Avoid products that are glued shut or lack a warranty, as these are designed to be discarded rather than fixed. Prioritizing brands that publish third-party sustainability audits can help you choose appliances that are easier to recycle and less dependent on scarce raw materials.
Data Transparency
This is a category rating based on publicly available data. The following data fields were not submitted by a manufacturer and have been estimated conservatively using open reference data and the category default assumptions table v0.1 (provisional — sources pending full citation):
material_percentagescountry_of_primary_extractionprimary_sourcing_countriestier1_supplier_countdue_diligence_standardalternative_supplier_existsdisassembly_typerecyclable_streams_pctrecycling_label_complianttakeback_schemedesign_for_disassemblyfastener_typespare_parts_years_committedservice_manual_publicifixit_scoreecodesign_in_scopemanufacturing_countriesenvironmental_certificationsthird_party_certificationrba_audit_completedmodern_slavery_statementilo_compliance_claimedip_ratingmodular_designsoftware_support_yearsprimary_material_originrecycled_content_pctregenerative_certificationsclosed_loop_programmeend_of_life_programmematerial_origin_certifiedregenerative_practices
A verified rating uses manufacturer-submitted data and produces a more accurate, product-specific score.
Material Watch Points
- Lithium — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Cobalt — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Neodymium — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Rare earth elements — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- China ~70% of global rare earth mine production, ~85% of processing — high supply concentration
- Recycled content at 0%
- Rare earths — China >60% global supply, high concentration risk
- Potential cobalt sourcing from DRC (high-risk jurisdiction)
- No due-diligence programme documented
- No alternative supplier documented
How this score was calculated
The HIP Score is a weighted average of seven dimensions measuring material
resilience, supply chain integrity, and end-of-life characteristics.
| Code |
Dimension |
Weight |
Score |
| MSI |
Material Scarcity Index |
0.20 |
1.5 / 10 |
| SCR |
Supply Chain Risk |
0.18 |
2.5 / 10 |
| RC |
Recyclability and Circularity |
0.18 |
2.0 / 10 |
| R |
Repairability |
0.13 |
3.0 / 10 |
| SEI |
Social and Environmental Impact |
0.08 |
3.5 / 10 |
| PL |
Product Longevity |
0.08 |
4.0 / 10 |
| RI |
Regenerative Index |
0.15 |
-7.0 (raw) |
Regenerative Index note: RI scores on a unique scale of -10 to +10.
Before weighting, the raw score is normalised: RI normalised = (RI raw + 10) / 2.
This product's RI band is Depleting.
Weighted HIP Score: 2.6 / 10
· Methodology v1.5
Base weights shown. Some product types use category-specific weight profiles —
see full methodology for details.
Read the full methodology →
Data Sources
This rating draws on the following public sources:
USGS Mineral Resources Program (public domain) · EU Critical Raw Materials List 2023 (CC BY 4.0) · World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Category default assumptions table v0.1 (provisional — sources pending full citation)
All sources are public domain or published under open data licences.
Full source list →
About this rating:
HIP scores are based on public data at the date shown.
They show how well a product holds up over time — not a promise about safety or future supply.
Resourcehip is not liable for choices made based on these ratings.
Scope:
This is a category rating for Robot Vacuum Cleaners and does not assess any specific brand or manufacturer.
Individual products may perform better or worse than this baseline.
Produced under Resourcehip Scoring Methodology 1.5 (CC BY-NC 4.0).
AI disclosure:
An AI model scored this rating on our own hardware — no data was sent to the cloud.
A human reviewer checked and approved it before it went live.
Model: qwen3.5:35b.
AI transparency notice →
Not financial or investment advice.
Ratings are for consumer information only.
Dispute this rating · Our methodology · All ratings
Assessed: 2026-06-17 · Next review: 2027-04-18 · Methodology 1.5
