A couple of the questions presented this week were as follows:
- How do we convince designers to make devices less disposable and more upgradable?
- How do we ensure that our devices get recycled properly when the time comes?
When I read these questions, I cannot help but think of the human fallacy of greed as the contributor to most of these issues. It is unfortunate, especially for young ears, to learn that money is what makes our world go round, and that desire for profit and greed towards earning more income is where all of the flaws lie in sustainable and responsible technology creation.
How do we convince designers to make devices less disposable? That is a good question. First, we would have to convince them that the less disposable option is more profitable, or create some other incentive for them to seek change. Designers create devices that have an expiry date, because their whole business rests on consumers purchasing more of the product. If a product was created that could last a lifetime, then there would be no such thing as repeat customers. People would purchase the product once, pay the set price to the tech company, but then never contribute to any future sales. Do you ever wonder why your devices appear to all malfunction after a certain amount of use or time? It is because they were produced with an intended limited lifespan. Products could be created to last longer, but the math does not make sense from the perspective of corporations. Three products sold at regular price over a period of time is still more profitable than one high quality product that has a retail value of double that of the low quality item.
When we think of sustainability, we think about the environment. When a company thinks about sustainability, they think about sustaining their income source. Do you ever wonder why household lightbulbs burn out each year, but the headlights on your car will last forever? The difference is that the lights on a car are a safety issue. If they burn out, then people could get hurt, so manufacturers are required to make them last. Whereas, if a light burns out in your house, you can afford to go out and purchase a new one, risk free.
The same argument applies to the question of proper recycling. Again, recycling is expensive. It is often labour intensive, and cheaper to simply source new materials. Some components make sense to recycle from a profitability viewpoint, like easily accessible precious metals, but the remaining components that are harder to separate become a burden. Digital waste is sometimes sent to countries with a cheaper labour force, earning just a few dollars a day. There, it may be worthwhile for an individual to spend their day taking apart scrap digital components, but again, what does it all come down to?... money, profit, greed. Wherever there is a profit to be made, people will be motivated to take action automatically. Where there is no profit is where the challenge lies. Often countries will dip into government pockets to subsidize non-profitable, environmental or sustainability issues. Some individuals will contribute to the cause as well. Realistically, most will not.
Very nice and reflective blog post - it pretty well sums up the thoughts I have had this week as well. It is so unfortunate how greed and money seem to outweigh the importance of sustainability, care for our environment, and well-being of the people who create and gather resources for these products. Side note, weirdly enough we have had to replace our headlights twice in the last year or so 🤔
ReplyDeleteWell shoot, you just wrote everything I was going to write in my blog lol This was a great post. I have the same questions and sometimes the weight of those questions feels a bit overwhelming. I mean, what am I supposed to do? That's kind of the problem. We feel all of that weight and responsibility while corporations don't, we are at the mercy of technology, and we can do little to change the way these corporations run. We're between a rock and a hard place!
ReplyDeleteAlongside with the intended lifespan of our favourite devices, I think the marketing of new products also plays a big role in electronic sustainability. Think of when a family makes a switch from a box TV to their first flat screen. I bet many of the box TVs still worked, but everyone wanted the "next best thing" for their viewing experience. The same goes for laptops, phones, tablets, etc. You name it, and there's something "new and exciting" that could replace it, even if the old one still works!
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