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Is the planet struggling because an average person may buy two AirPods in two years? Or because an average person consumes 220 pounds (100 kg) of plastic in one

Is the planet struggling because an average person may buy two AirPods in two years? Or because an average person consumes 220 pounds (100 kg) of plastic in one year? For comparison, one AirPod weighs 0.008 pounds (0.004 kg).

GeekyBear 8y ago
Google could make a much larger environmental impact by requiring that Android licensees stop forcing obsolescence through their refusal to provide security updates for otherwise functional devices. There is no reason why phones with current specs couldn't be supported for at least five years. "You'll get two years of support if you're lucky" is just insane.
NeedMoreTea 8y ago
It's less weight than attitude it reveals that concerns me. Time was even micro headphones were a miracle of almost watchmaking. Designing to permit repair and end-of-life disassembly should be standard to permit, and perhaps mandate, end-of-life recycling until the average person consumes no plastic, despite using 20kg.
echlebek 8y ago
Maybe making this particular product more repairable or more recyclable isn't going to save the planet, but the status quo is that consumer goods are disposable and short-lived, and that's the real problem. Keep in mind, the cost of waste of a product is not only the product itself, but also its packaging, marketing materials, etc. Companies know they can make products that will become waste in a short period of time, which increases profitability because people will have to buy things more frequently. The cost of disposal gets pushed onto society, with companies taking little or no responsibility for it.
PascLeRasc 8y ago
If Airpods were a naturally occurring resource, you'd have a point. As it happens though, there's a huge supply chain behind producing Airpods, involving mining rare earth elements for the batteries and silicon, and shipping these components around the world both for production and delivery.

GeekyBear 8y ago

Google could make a much larger environmental impact by requiring that Android licensees stop forcing obsolescence through their refusal to provide security updates for otherwise functional devices. There is no reason why phones with current specs couldn't be supported for at least five years. "You'll get two years of support if you're lucky" is just insane.

NeedMoreTea 8y ago

It's less weight than attitude it reveals that concerns me. Time was even micro headphones were a miracle of almost watchmaking. Designing to permit repair and end-of-life disassembly should be standard to permit, and perhaps mandate, end-of-life recycling until the average person consumes no plastic, despite using 20kg.

echlebek 8y ago

Maybe making this particular product more repairable or more recyclable isn't going to save the planet, but the status quo is that consumer goods are disposable and short-lived, and that's the real problem. Keep in mind, the cost of waste of a product is not only the product itself, but also its packaging, marketing materials, etc. Companies know they can make products that will become waste in a short period of time, which increases profitability because people will have to buy things more frequently. The cost of disposal gets pushed onto society, with companies taking little or no responsibility for it.

PascLeRasc 8y ago

If Airpods were a naturally occurring resource, you'd have a point. As it happens though, there's a huge supply chain behind producing Airpods, involving mining rare earth elements for the batteries and silicon, and shipping these components around the world both for production and delivery.