[connect-wg] New on RIPE Labs: You’ve Got the Power: Sustainable Procurement and the RIPE Community

Scott, you're absolutely right. I've been writing about this for years, so
it's great to see you so passionate about it as well! I think a RIPE Labs
post on these issues + the document you produced
would be quite beneficial to the community.

Best,
-Michael



On Wed, Sep 2, 2020 at 5:55 PM J Scott Marcus <scott at scottmarcus.com> wrote:

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