[connect-wg] New on RIPE Labs: You’ve Got the Power: Sustainable Procurement and the RIPE Community
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J Scott Marcus
scott at scottmarcus.com
Wed Sep 2 17:55:49 CEST 2020
Thanks to both of you for a careful and thoughtful read! Indeed, those two paragraphs capture some of the most important points that I would most want to highlight to RIPE. I have to say, when I started to look at the problem, I was surprised to find that it entailed trade-offs far more complex than I would have guessed. I would also offer these bits: > When one considers product sustainability, one must reflect on effects > over the entire lifetime of the product: not only over its period of > usage (the part that we mainly see as consumers), but also over its > period of production, and its end of life period (typical > characterised by disposal or by some form of recycling or re-use), as > depicted in Figure 2. > Figure 2: The typical product life cycle > Source: Bruegel > When a product wears out or is discarded for some other reason ..., it > typically needs to be replaced. Extending the lifetime of a product > tends to reduce the frequency with which goods of a given class need > to be replaced. This results in reduced consumption of materials and > energy that would otherwise go into production, which is > environmentally positive. > If goods last longer, then they are less often disposed of, which > likewise tends to be positive. There are various forms of recycling, > remanufacturing and re-use that can serve to mitigate the cost of end > of life, but reducing the frequency with which products go to end of > life tends to be even better. Extending product lifetimes consequently > tends to be positive for the environment in the end of life phase as well. > The impact of extended lifetimes during the usage phase is not > necessarily environmentally positive – in fact, it can often be > negative for the environment. Products such as automobiles and washing > machines are becoming more efficient over time. Driving a given number > of kilometres with a newer, more fuel-efficient vehicle generates less > greenhouse gas (GHG) than driving the same number of kilometres with > an older, less fuel-efficient vehicle. When we extend the lifetime of > these products, it means that older, less efficient products stay in > service longer, consuming more energy and therefore generating more GHGs. > Practical assessments as to whether there is a public policy rationale > for prolonging product lifetime consequently need to carefully weigh a > trade-off: Do the environmental gains during the production and end of > life phases outweigh possible environmental costs during the usage > phase for this particular product at this point in time? And this: > It is easy to say that all batteries (and screens) should be > replaceable, but there are legitimate reasons to prefer > non-replaceable components, some of which also indirectly benefit > consumers. User-replaceable batteries are not the only way to ensure > that the phone can be used for its full potential lifetime. Other > solutions are possible, and are to some extent being implemented. With best regards, Scott On 02/09/2020 15:18, Michael J. Oghia wrote: > Good points Michael, and that is also why I argue > <https://labs.ripe.net/Members/michael_oghia/to-green-the-internet-we-need-ripe> > the RIPE community should take an explicit stance on the Right to Repair. > > Best, > -Michael > > > On Wed, Sep 2, 2020 at 3:01 PM Michael Richardson <mcr at sandelman.ca > <mailto:mcr at sandelman.ca>> wrote: > > > J Scott Marcus <scott at scottmarcus.com > <mailto:scott at scottmarcus.com>> wrote: > > You would probably find some useful bits in a recent study > of mine on behalf > > of the European Parliament. > > > J. Scott Marcus (2020), “Promoting product longevity: How > can the EU product > > safety and compliance framework help promote product > durability and tackle > > planned obsolescence, foster the production of more > sustainable products, and > > achieve more transparent supply chains for consumers?”, > study for the IMCO > > Committee of the European Parliament. > > > https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2020/648767/IPOL_STU(2020)648767_EN.pdf > > For the rest who did not read it yet: > > "Some users always want to have the latest technology, but there > is good > reason to believe that a great manyof these mobile devices are > replaced (1) > because the battery has died, and cannot be replaced by the user; > or (2) > because the screen has cracked, and cannot be replaced by the > user, or (3) > because the manufacturer no longer is willing or able to support the > software. " > > with the caution that: > > "These same considerations hint at reasons why any prolongation of > product > lifetime for passenger vehicles – a potential initiative which, > interestingly, is not visible in the Circular Economy Action Plan > – might > prove to be counter-productive at this particular point in time. Any > prolongation of the lifetime of existing vehicles risks a slight > delay in the > take-up of new electric vehicles and self-driving vehicles, thus > potential > delaying a technology evolution that produces benefits of its own. " > > -- > ] Never tell me the odds! | ipv6 > mesh networks [ > ] Michael Richardson, Sandelman Software Works | IoT > architect [ > ] mcr at sandelman.ca <mailto:mcr at sandelman.ca> > http://www.sandelman.ca/ | ruby on rails [ > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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