Inside Your Smartphone

How To Save The World Podcast

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.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.