One of the important aspects affecting the environment is our inability to repair our own devices. When I say "our", I don't necessarily mean in terms of our own individual expertise - not all of us will have that. But consider a car. When your car goes wrong, you have a choice of garages to go to, who can source the parts needed, who will be able to fix it.
For a lot of electronic devices - mobile phones especially - this is increasingly becoming untrue. Companies refuse to make repair components, schematics, and tools available to repairers, and refuse to provide a reasonable repair service themselves. Often, the repair advice is "buy a new one". This obviously serves those companies' profit margins more than the consumers or the environment.
Why is this relevant to SNAPP? Well, contained within one small phone or tablet are a plethora of components - many using plastics of a wide variety, and other rare elements. Phone recycling schemes can retrieve up to 70-80% of the material used - but that means 20-30% goes into the environment, even when a phone Is recycled. If the phone is simply thrown away - well, that's 100% of those plastics and other - often toxic - chemicals going straight into our environment.
"Right to repair" is a movement that seeks.to re-address the balance between consumers and companies. It seeks to keep devices "in the wild" longer by giving consumers the de facto right to repair them by giving access to those materials needed to do so. Fewer devices thrown away, sent for recycling, and replaced with new means less impact on the environment.
Repair. Reuse. .Recycle. Those are often heard mantras in our quest to seek a greener world. This mantra is difficult to stick to when certain companies actively seek to prevent that first word when it comes to their devices.
Please consider supporting the campaign for our right to repair our devices. One of the things we are doing at the 4th Northampton is raising awareness regarding responsible practices with the devices so many of us use so extensively.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46797396
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