A few weeks ago we knew that the European Union was planning to increase the life of mobile devices by planning to make batteries easier to replace. This proposal is part of a package of proposals that aims to create a more sustainable economy with zero emissions while fighting obsolescence.
Finally, a document is available in which all the measures appear. And it seems that not only do they pretend that the batteries are easier to replace, but that the mobile industry changes completely.
The smartphones must stop being a tool to use and throw, according to the EU
The mobile industry has undergone a radical evolution in the last decade. Year after year, smartphones have dramatically increased their capabilities and their software has evolved at the same pace, which has accustomed us to an accelerated pace of renewals, and in the best case a smartphone has a lifespan of About 4-5 years.
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According to the EU, we can avoid up to 80% of the environmental impact of a device is in its design phase. To this end, the European Commission has proposed several sustainability principles to reduce as much as possible the environmental footprint of the devices. These proposals are the following:
The 9 measures against obsolescence
- Improve the design, taking into account these factors:
Durability: the device must have a longer lifespan.
Reusability: facilities for a product to be reused by other people.
Improvement: facilitate the possibilities of expansion in the devices.
Reparability: today many smartphones are impossible to repair by ourselves. - Increase the content of recycled materials.
- Facilitate high quality remanufacturing and recycling.
- Reduce the use of coal and environmental footprint.
- Reduce single-use products and counteract premature obsolescence.
- Introduce a ban on destruction of products that are not sold.
- Encourage the product as a service. That is, the ownership and responsibility of the device is in the hands of the companies.
- Mobilize the use of digitalization in products such as manuals.
- Reward products based on their sustainability.
Just make the battery replacement easy and available to purchase after 2.5-3 years.
I agree!
I don’t trust EU. They once threatened to enforce universal charging port but ended up allowing Apple to use proprietary charging port.