A device's lifespan, and its effects on the environment, can broadly be broken down into three parts:
Creation of Devices
Using the Devices
Disposing of Devices
Creation of Devices
Rare Materials
Electronic devices contain lots of elements, many of which are extracted from the natural environment such as mining gold, lithium, and platinum. Extracting and processing materials damages the environment – sometimes permanently.
Some elements used in production, such as helium, are running out. When we have used them up, they will be gone forever.
Energy Used In Production
Mining raw materials, transporting them for processing, and manufacturing devices use huge amounts of energy which can burn fossil fuels and create toxic pollution.
Many devices are manufactured in the Far East and then packaged and transported across the world to western customers. Transporting devices around the world uses energy and increases damage to the environment.
Using the Devices
Power Usage
Devices require electricity to run, including charging batteries on portable devices. Whilst many countries are trying to move towards using clean energies, such as wind and solar, to generate electricity, a lot of electricity is still generated from burning fossil fuels – using dwindling resources and creating pollution.
Services
Processing and storage is increasingly being handled in data centres rather than on the device. This includes cloud computing, AI, and online storage.
Data centres require huge amounts of electricity and water to keep their systems cool and running properly, and pump hot emissions into the air. This is creating water shortages and contributing to global warming.
Disposing of Devices
The Cost of an Upgrade
When a device reaches the end of its life it may end up in landfill, where chemicals from it leach into the ground and pollute soil and water for decades.
Some parts may be recycled, but even this can be bad for the environment! Components are shipped to poorer parts of the world, where plastic casings are burnt away to access valuable metals. The shipping and burning create additional pollution in parts of the world which often cannot manage it properly, causing long-term damage to the environment and those living there.
Living Sustainably
It can be difficult to resist an upgrade to a shiny new device, and sometimes things just stop working and need replacing.
How can we reduce our environmental impact?
- Use devices for as long as possible before upgrading
- Repairing, rather than replacing, faulty devices
- Donate our old devices to others to use, rather than throwing them away
- Recycle responsibly, using approved government schemes