By Kasia Murphy
Speaking at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas a few days ago – amid all the bending TVs and smart mirrors and wearable tech beyond your wildest dreams (smart bra, anyone?) – Intel's chief executive, Brian Krzanich, announced that it would no longer be using materials from ‘conflict zones’ to build new chips. He called on the “entire industry” to follow in its stead.
While the move by Intel is absolutely admirable and necessary, reading the announcement reminded me of another “responsible tech” story. In the weeks before Christmas, the UN's "Solving the E-Waste Problem" initiative StEP issued a warning that the global volume of electrical refuse – from fridges to mobile phones to hard-drives – is set to grow by 33 percent over the next four years. That’s the equivalent weight of EIGHT great Egyptian pyramids.
Though technology sales continue to boom, unfortunately once machines and whatnot are deemed obsolete, the disused items will most likely be dumped in developing countries, like Ghana, rather than being safely recycled. Typically composed of an intricate web of lead, zinc, mercury, beryllium, arsenic and flame retardants – each a toxic material – these long forgotten items contaminate land, water and the air. Harking back to the Intel story, a chip in a smartphone can contain around 60 chemical elements.
E-waste is dubbed the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. In 2008 it was reported that 12.5 million computers have been thrown into UK landfills over a five year period. I shudder to think of what it is now, or what the number would be for mobile phones considering we go through them like I go through chocolate Freddo bars.
So, while it’s laudable that the big boys are moving in the right direction, it is a must that we as technology consumers and aficionados exercise and acknowledge our responsibility to making the world a cleaner, healthier place to live for everyone.
Happy New Year.
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