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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.<br>
</p>
<p>I would also offer these bits:</p>
<p>
<blockquote type="cite">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.<br>
Figure 2: The typical product life cycle<br>
</blockquote>
<img src="cid:part1.4EBC19AB.6F4516F4@scottmarcus.com" alt="">
<blockquote type="cite">Source: Bruegel<br>
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.<br>
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.<br>
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.<br>
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?</blockquote>
<br>
</p>
<p>And this:</p>
<p>
<blockquote type="cite">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.</blockquote>
With best regards,<br>
Scott<br>
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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 02/09/2020 15:18, Michael J. Oghia
wrote:<br>
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<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAMCMt7qCxV=dh_V2NV6x08J7k3oAM+jACKj8LiVwL1A8C3O1wg@mail.gmail.com">
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<div dir="ltr">Good points Michael, and that is also why I <a
href="https://labs.ripe.net/Members/michael_oghia/to-green-the-internet-we-need-ripe"
moz-do-not-send="true">argue</a> the RIPE community should
take an explicit stance on the Right to Repair.
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<div><span
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helvetica,
sans-serif">-Michael</font>
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<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Sep 2, 2020 at 3:01 PM
Michael Richardson <<a href="mailto:mcr@sandelman.ca"
moz-do-not-send="true">mcr@sandelman.ca</a>> wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px
0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><br>
J Scott Marcus <<a href="mailto:scott@scottmarcus.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">scott@scottmarcus.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
> You would probably find some useful bits in a recent
study of mine on behalf<br>
> of the European Parliament.<br>
<br>
> J. Scott Marcus (2020), “Promoting product longevity:
How can the EU product<br>
> safety and compliance framework help promote product
durability and tackle<br>
> planned obsolescence, foster the production of more
sustainable products, and<br>
> achieve more transparent supply chains for
consumers?”, study for the IMCO<br>
> Committee of the European Parliament.<br>
> <a
href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2020/648767/IPOL_STU(2020)648767_EN.pdf"
rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2020/648767/IPOL_STU(2020)648767_EN.pdf</a><br>
<br>
For the rest who did not read it yet:<br>
<br>
"Some users always want to have the latest technology, but
there is good<br>
reason to believe that a great manyof these mobile devices are
replaced (1)<br>
because the battery has died, and cannot be replaced by the
user; or (2)<br>
because the screen has cracked, and cannot be replaced by the
user, or (3)<br>
because the manufacturer no longer is willing or able to
support the<br>
software. "<br>
<br>
with the caution that:<br>
<br>
"These same considerations hint at reasons why any
prolongation of product<br>
lifetime for passenger vehicles – a potential initiative
which,<br>
interestingly, is not visible in the Circular Economy Action
Plan – might<br>
prove to be counter-productive at this particular point in
time. Any<br>
prolongation of the lifetime of existing vehicles risks a
slight delay in the<br>
take-up of new electric vehicles and self-driving vehicles,
thus potential<br>
delaying a technology evolution that produces benefits of its
own. "<br>
<br>
--<br>
] Never tell me the odds! | ipv6
mesh networks [<br>
] Michael Richardson, Sandelman Software Works |
IoT architect [<br>
] <a href="mailto:mcr@sandelman.ca" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">mcr@sandelman.ca</a> <a
href="http://www.sandelman.ca/" rel="noreferrer"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">http://www.sandelman.ca/</a>
| ruby on rails [<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
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