Tim’s in the expert chair today as he shares his research into the impacts of the object we use more than any other, every single day; Our phone! We explore the three major life stages of a phone, 1) Mineral extraction for components 2) Assembly 3) Disposal.

The true cost of mineral extraction to get the rare Earth minerals needed to make all the different parts of a phone are hidden from us and there’s a good reason. Child labour, dangerous conditions and underpaid workers in developing countries are all part of the smartphone production line. The (largely) Chinese-assembled smartphones are also produced in very dubious conditions. The disposal of these devices (and e-waste in general) needs to be considered because these toxic elements can leach into soil, groundwater and even start fires at dumb sites.

On the positive side of things; NZ’s own MINT Innovation claims to have developed a revolutionary process for recapturing rare Earth elements from reclaimed electronics including phones, which reduces our need to harvest more from the Earth and could prevent huge amounts of e-waste going to landfill.

Then there’s Fairphone, the Dutch smartphone maker who are mindfully producing devices using best worker practices and environmental sustainability at its core. Their phones also use a modular design so you won’t have to throw away phone because the screen’s cracked or battery barely holds a charge, you can just order that component from Fairphone and slot it in. This can extend the life of the device many times over and reduces the amount of devices purchased/produced by consumers.

For details on how to responsibly dispose of your mobile devices in New Zealand, check out ReMobile.

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