The Human Cost of Electronics: Who Pays the Price?
Not only is it wasteful to upgrade your phone every year or 2 years, it’s also hurting those who make it:
Brands should take responsibility for supply chain responsibility, but SO ARE GOVERNMENTS.
There are three groups at fault here: Brands, Us and the Governments.
That poor girl who said that she was sent home and denied compensation because it wasn’t considered a workplace hazard.
It’s also harmful to those who use electronics, so we aren’t immune.
Thanks to Liquid for tweeting this.
6 Comments
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tomatoketchup
For me, it works out better financially to upgrade my iPhone every year. I have a family plan with 3 members; the other 2 people have simple flip phones for basic calls (they don’t even text). I pay for the entire thing. Every year, I alternate upgrades to get a discounted iPhone, and since they hold their value so well, I sell the old one for more than what I initially paid for it. If the cell phone company gave me a discount off of my monthly plan once the 2 year subsidy on the phone ran out, then I would keep the old phone as long as possible. But since they don’t do that, I end up making a few dollars each year and am always under a 1 year warranty every time I upgrade.
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save. spend. splurge.
As long as someone else is using the old phones, I guess it’s not so bad as buying a new one. That said, no cellphone is benzene-free, which means any smartphone / cellphone is giving off toxic fumes in small amounts.
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SarahN
I WILL put up with a sticky home button on my BF’s ex phone – it’s one less phone being bought, and expended.
It’s chilling that there’s not even a Benzene free option available…
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save. spend. splurge.
Very chilling. I’m kind of happy we only have one phone between the two of us. BF rarely uses it too, so we’re fine.
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Morgaine
I’m trying to make my cell phones last at least 2 years, preferably 3, but they don’t make cell phones to last anymore. My blackberry was so slow by year 2 that I couldn’t do anything with it other than make calls (but I couldn’t take the data plan off?!?) so I upgraded. But when my Google phone broke, I bought a refurbished Galaxy 2 (as opposed to a brand new Galaxy 4 at the time) and I’m trying to get to at least 2 years with this one. I blame conspicuous consumption (and like you said the companies and governments). Everyone seems to want the lastest phone/gadget these days and since we (as society) generally don’t keep the phones past a year or so, the companies probably make them purposefully not to last, even though they can cost $500 and up to purchase.