Transforming the Materials Economy
Consumer products manufactured and sold in the Materials Economy follow linear life cycles—cycles, which like natural resources themselves—are finite. Throwaway products are a key component to the success of the Materials Economy, as they provide an unending cycle of supply and demand. Planned obsolescence is the other key component, which ensures that yesterday’s hot buy quickly becomes tomorrow’s flop, aggressively prompting consumers to keep up with all the latest fashions and trends.
Just like the carrot leading the donkey, the manufacturer is always one step ahead, and the consumer can never get enough. Since its inception some sixty-plus years ago, the Materials Economy has proven to be both unsustainable and unacceptable. Excess and intemperance run deep in the Materials Economy, where more is better, and the idea of happiness and peace of mind are sold in the promise of tomorrow's purchase.
To better understand the impact of the Materials Economy on societies, cultures, and the environment, it can be helpful to examine the life cycle of any one of its products. The linear evolution of a product reveals the flaws of the Materials Economy itself, for the product is merely a microcosm of the system as a whole.
Product Life Cycles
Products in the Materials Economy follow a life cycle, just as living things in the natural world fulfill a life cycle by which they are born, grow older, and eventually die. The life cycle of any given product observes the following pattern:
Take, for example, the cell phone industry. In 2005, it was estimated that there were almost 2.5 billion subscribers worldwide.1 That figure has undoubtedly risen dramatically since then, as cell phone usage continues to permeate everyday lives of cultures all over the world.
A throwaway product? The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that in 2005 alone, 125 million cell phone were discarded, leaving behind more than 65,000 tons of waste.2 What about planned obsolescence? Today’s most popular models now include state-of-the-art features like high resolution digital cameras, mp3 players with high definition speakers, internet capability, and GPS systems. One leading manufacturer is promoting one of its newest products as “Thinner. Lighter. Better than ever.”
A Cell Phone’s Life Cycle
The first stage in product production is extraction, and is arguably the most destructive stage to both mankind and nature. At this point, the product manufacturer has already come up with design specs and knows exactly what role the earth will play in making its product a consumer reality.
Cell Phones 2007 | Chris Jordan Reprinted with permission of the artist
Extraction refers the process of exploiting natural resources—water, wood, metals, minerals, etc.—for product manufacturing. The circuit board of a cell phone is made up of mined, raw metals such as copper, gold, lead, nickel, and zinc. Crude oil is also used to make the necessary plastic, while nonmetallic minerals like sand and limestone go into to the fiberglass also found in the unit.
The mining of these raw metals is environmentally destructive and energy-intensive. Tremendous amounts of earth must first be removed in order to reach the ore, heavy-duty industrial machinery then must extract it from its resting place, the ore then must be transported to smeltering facilities, and finally it must be processed.
A significant portion of the energy used in these processes is derived from coal, which too, must be mined from the earth. As coal is burned to create energy, heavy amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere.
Metals are commonly extracted from open-pit mines, which leave behind gaping holes on the earth’s surface, and are often converted into landfills once the available natural resources are depleted.
Perhaps the best well-known metal of all, one found in a cell phone’s circuit board, and most commonly in popular jewelry, is gold. It is estimated that in order to produce one ton of gold for commercial use, 300,000 tons of ore must be extracted from the earth and processed.3
Once the raw ore is extracted from the earth, the available one ton of this precious metal is then itself extracted from the some 300,000 tons of ore—other rock, mineral, and metals. A process known as cyanide heap leaching is commonly used to separate the element from the rest of the conglomeration. A cyanide solution is poured down from the top of a pile of ore, and as the solution slowly makes its way to the bottom, it removes the bits and pieces of gold from the rest of the other metals and minerals. The problem, of course, is the extremely toxic residue left over from the process.
The next major step in the life cycle of a product its production. Here, extracted natural resources are either placed directly into the product (gold as used in a cell phone’s circuit board), or they are further refined and processed into synthetic elements used to manufacture and assemble the product (crude oil and limestone as used to create fiberglass). As in the extraction process, enormous amounts of energy are used, often coming from nonrenewable forms of energy like coal and natural gas, leaving behind a sizeable carbon footprint.
The production process also includes aggregating toxic substances such as cadmium and brominated flame retardants, used in a cell phone’s rechargeable battery, as well as lead in order to attach various components to the face of the circuit board.
The following two stages of packaging and distribution leave behind their own footprints in the process as well. Standard cell phone packaging may consist of either a transparent plastic clamshell, or a cardboard outer wrapper with an inner cardboard or plastic tray.
The packaged goods are then loaded on trucks, trains, or airplanes and are shipped around the world. The cardboard and plastic needed for packaging demands natural resource like trees and crude oil, while fossil fuels ensure that every cell phone ends up on just the right shelf in just the right store.
The environmental and social impact of the previous four stages of a product’s life cycle may be attributed almost wholly to the manufacturer. However, the very same impact of the next stage, consumption, is marked primarily by the consumer.
Does the consumer use the product until it is no longer functional? Does the consumer take care of the product as to ensure extended use? Does the consumer succumb to the latest marketing ploys, buying and discarding more products than is really necessary?
Some might go through two, three or even more cell phones in a year, without ever realizing what really went into making that little hand-held mobile wonder. The Materials Economy makes it too easy to ignore the reality behind what is sitting in front of the consumer, just waiting to be picked up and purchased.
The final stage in product life cycles is disposal—a crucial stage in which both manufacturers and consumers share a great responsibility in reducing the harmful effects that their now unwanted and unused product can have on the natural world.
Recycling plays a crucial role in softening this impact. The EPA reports that only ten percent of unwanted cell phones are recycled each year, while the rest eventually make their way to landfills or are incinerated, releasing toxic ground and air pollutants.4
Safer and more responsible alternatives include donating out-of-date, but functional cell phones to community organizations; taking advantage of take-back programs, sponsored by manufacturers; and finding the nearest electronics recycling facility to drop off unwanted units.
The New Green Economy
Out with the old and in with the new. Individuals, communities, businesses and organizations, cultures and societies can no longer depend on the Materials Economy. The planet cannot support it indefinitely. A new language of economics is needed—one that understands that product life cycles must mirror the circular life cycles as found in nature; one that recognizes the true value and worth of people and the environment; one where peace of mind and happiness are not measured in dollar amounts or through accumulation of materials goods. Product lifecycles in the sustainable economy are circular rather than linear—by design. Waste is eliminated—by design. And for energy, the waves, the sun, and the wind can provide clean and unlimited amounts of it—eliminating the need for electric bills, lowering food and transportation costs, and providing the opportunity for humanity to acheive one of its greatest challenges—a sustainable and meaningful quality of life for all its members.
The whole world is waiting for it.
It’s the New Green Economy.
Watch a video on the impacts of poor product lifecycle design.
What can be eCycled? Click here.
1 http://cellnumbers.com/cell-phone-usage.aspx
2,4 The Life Cycle of a Cell Phone—http://www.epa.gov/osw
3 Lester R. Brown, Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth
(W. W. Norton & Co., NY: 2001)
Cell Phones 2007 by Chris Jordan | Click here to see more of his artwork »
