Why is it better to repair than to replace an electronic item?

Electronic products have a high environmental footprint. It takes precious raw materials and considerable amounts of energy to manufacture them. When these products are discarded, all of the embedded energy as well as many materials are lost – only a small portion can be effectively recovered through recycling. This is why extending the lifetime of electric and electronic products through repair is the most efficient way to reduce their overall environmental footprint.

Can’t recycling absorb e-waste?

Globally, only 17% of the quantity of e-waste is actually recycled. Even if electronic products are recycled, not only is all of their embedded energy lost, but many valuable materials are lost as well. About half of the chemical elements found in a smartphone, have functional recycling rates under 1%.

What is plannes obscolescence?

We talk about planned obsolescence when a manufacturer consciously makes design and manufacturing decisions that results in a limited product life. This doesn’t necessarily mean that products are made to break after a certain period. If a manufacturer designs a product in such a way that it cannot be disassembled, or if they decide not to make spare parts, repair information, or software updates available, they are making a deliberate choice that result in a limited product life – the product becomes obsolete due to the manufacturer’s decision not to support its prolonged use.