Here’s how to buy ethical technology and keep conflict minerals in the ground
Conflict minerals in electronics
Our electronic devices contain a painful secret: they contain minerals, including cobalt and copper, and the demand for these minerals contributes to a humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As device lifespans continue to decrease, experts urge consumers to buy used or refurbished smartphones and laptops and to donate or sell old devices. While consumers alone cannot address the social and environmental damage of the tech industry, these actions can help save money, keep minerals in the ground, and reduce the number of devices piling up in landfills.
Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Cobalt and copper are critical to our devices: cobalt helps stabilize rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and increases their energy density, while copper wiring is commonly used in computer chips. Both minerals are heavily mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is the largest producer of cobalt in the world and one of the largest producers of copper.
Researchers say that mining practices in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amount to human trafficking as hundreds of thousands of people, including tens of thousands of children, work for meager wages in horrific conditions. Workers must use simple tools like shovels and hammers in unstable tunnels that lack ventilation or in open pits that are prone to collapse. Mining companies have also colluded with local military forces to burn or demolish villages to expand operations in resource-rich areas, according to a report released by Amnesty International this fall. Cobalt is extremely toxic, contaminating the air, land, and water around the mines.
Reducing harm through buying used devices
But can we really avoid harm by purchasing used devices and selling our old ones? According to a report from two French government agencies, the answer is yes: buying one used phone avoids the need to extract about 180 pounds of raw materials. If everyone in the United States kept their phone for an additional year on average, that would reduce demand for raw materials by more than 40 million pounds per day.
“Anything we do to keep devices in use for longer… reduces the amount of minerals needed,” says Lukas Guterman, campaign director for “Designed to Last” against electronic waste and planned obsolescence at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).
Future challenges
To meet our burgeoning future of electric cars and smartphones, demand for minerals like copper and cobalt will increase in the coming years. Over the past decade, cobalt mining has increased by about 30 percent, and copper mining by 44 percent. This rising demand, coupled with political instability in mineral-producing countries, is contributing to a significant copper shortage; cobalt is expected to experience a similar shortage by 2030.
More used devices also mean more electronic waste. The United States produces about 46 pounds per person of electronic waste, causing toxic metals to leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater at landfills. Recycling is an option, but extracting these valuable metals from discarded devices is often impossible, Guterman explains. Recycling electronic waste can also cause toxic metals like mercury, cadmium, and lead to leak if done without sufficient monitoring and training, which often occurs in low- to middle-income countries, harming the health of recycling facility workers and nearby communities.
Effective solution: Refurbishing and reusing devices
In
the current time, renewing and reusing your devices is the most effective solution. This means donating or selling your old phone, laptop, or tablet that you have at home, according to Guterman. “Don’t let it sit there, because every year it sits in your garbage pile, it will become less valuable,” he says. “Pass it on to others.”
To buy and sell used technology, Guterman recommends online marketplaces like Gazelle, Back Market, and VIP Outlet. Once you hand over your device to the refurbisher, they inspect it to see how it works and may add new parts like batteries, casings, and accessories, or send the old parts to recycling centers. You can also donate devices to the nonprofit organization Digitunity, which distributes donated technology to those in need.
Tips for Buying Refurbished Devices
Guterman’s team at PIRG recommends the following when buying refurbished devices:
- Check that the item comes with a warranty of no less than 90 days. (Many refurbishers offer a warranty of up to two years.)
- Ensure that the item is durable and easily repairable. You can check data like average battery life for specific products in Consumer Reports or look for repairability information from PIRG or iFixit.
- Look for devices that run on software that can be updated. (Some older devices may not be able to run the latest version.)
- Be cautious of printers; ink can build up inside, and refurbishers rarely clean it.
- Be mindful of health concerns when shopping for items that touch the skin, like headphones.
- Avoid devices whose batteries cannot be replaced, such as Apple AirPods or certain tablets with glued batteries.
Sustainability and the Better Choice
To reduce the need for mining, consumers should choose refurbished or used products like smartphones or laptops whenever possible, according to Jessica Richter, a researcher in circular economy at Lund University in Sweden. Many consider this option only as a backup, but Richter says refurbished items should become the first choice for everyone.
“If it doesn’t replace what we would have bought new, it doesn’t replace mining in the first place,” she says. She notes, however, that the refurbishment process often requires adding some new parts to old devices. This is especially true for lithium-ion batteries, which start to degrade within a few years.
Extending Device Lifespan
To keep your device working longer, do not leave it in hot environments or let it reach zero percent charge; either can accelerate the wear on lithium-ion batteries, according to Camille Richard, head of sustainability at Back Market.
Future Challenges
However, individual consumers can do much in the face of a concerning trend: the average lifespan of smartphones has decreased since 2019, after peaking at around 2.96 years. This is prompted because technology companies often incentivize – or make it necessary – to purchase new devices regularly. For example, manufacturers can restrict access to spare parts, repair tools, and manuals; making it difficult and costly for third-party repair shops to fix devices. Companies also often restrict new software updates on older devices, ensuring a continuous consumption of new products every few years, according to Guterman.
Legislation and Sustainability
In an ideal world, Guterman says, personal device usage patterns would resemble those related to cars: we should be able to buy a product and use it for over a decade with reasonable replacement of parts whenever needed. This solution has come closer to reality in the past year after several states passed legislation granting consumers the right to self-repair their electronic devices. In April 2022, Apple launched a self-repair program providing skilled repairers access to manuals, tools, and parts that the company had previously restricted, and Samsung and Google announced partnerships with iFixit to advocate for do-it-yourself repairs of devices.
On
Although companies seem poised to ease reform restrictions, Richters says consumers should continue advocating for legislation that effectively reduces mining and electronic waste. Regarding the latter, it is not in companies’ interest to slow our consumption of technology.
“It is hard for [companies] to sell a phone or device that lasts longer based on our current business models,” she says. More legislation that promotes durable technology will be needed “for us to even have the choice as consumers.”
Molly Glick is a freelance science journalist based in New York City. Her writing has been published in Inverse, Discover, Popular Science, and other outlets. You can follow her on Twitter @mollyglick and read more of her work on her website.
Leave a Reply