Jan 1, 1970
This week we’re going to dig into the production cycle (great overview here), and how our purchasing decisions impact communities abroad. Each day, we’ll be giving you concrete zero waste actions you can take to make a difference. The first step in production is extraction. Everything we own and consume was made from resources that had to be extracted—and those resources are finite.
Extractive industries are responsible for more than half of world’s carbon emissions, according to a study from UN Environment. Right now, we are using the ecological resources of 1.7 earths, and wealthy countries are using more resources relative to their population than developing countries. (You can check out the footprint of your country here and how COP26 is grappling with historically uneven resource use and emissions here) .
Electronics & Extraction
Our phones, laptops, toasters, T.V.s, and countless other electronics are prime examples of the environmental and human cost of all this extraction. Pictured below is a lake in Inner Mongolia, where most of the rare earth minerals that make our electronics work are mined. This toxic lake is filled with the byproducts of electronics related extraction (click the photo to see it on google maps) and is the direct result of planned obsolescence, policy that doesn’t hold producers responsible, and our demand for new electronics.
According to an outstanding article by Vice, “a single iPhone requires, roughly, mining 75 lbs of ore, 26 gallons of water, and 20.5 grams of cyanide.” And of course the well documented child labor in mines across the electronics supply chain, and the health impacts of those mines add human suffering to the massive environmental footprint of our electronics.
But, as always, we have the chance to opt out of these harmful systems! You can avoid a tremendous amount of waste by:
Using the electronics you currently have for longer, and
Buying exclusively used, repaired, and refurbished electronics to avoid creating demand for extraction and to support the reuse and repair economy.
We'd like you to think up something you can commit to related to your electronics footprint and share it with us below.
Take Action
Think about your current electronics footprint. What might enable you to keep them for longer? What ways can you avoid purchasing new electronics? Now if you feel comfortable make a commitment like "No new electronics for a year" or "Keep the same phone for 5 years" and click below to share your pledge with us.