The ultimate ethical gear guide

You don’t need to stop buying gadgets. Becca Caddy says you need to buy differently - and now’s the time to start

- Words: Becca Caddy

There’s always a new fitness tracker, a sleeker pair of headphones or a phone that promises just a bit more than the one in your pocket. The latest tech always seems faster, smarter and better, which is why your gadgets can so suddenly lose their shine.

We all know the feeling, and most of us have experienced it many times. Our current devices still work - they’re not broken, they’re not even bad at what they do - they’re just not new. And even when they are new, it can take only a few months for them to start feeling past it.

This is the upgrade cycle at work. Tech products, and the marketing behind them, are designed to make ‘new’ feel like ‘better’, even when the changes are sometimes only barely noticeable. The tech industry runs on this constant churn. But chasing the latest model comes at a cost ~ not just to your wallet, but to the planet. So how do we break the cycle?

The answer isn’t to stop buying tech completely. Or at least it doesn’t have to be. Asking people not to use tech is unrealistic, many of us rely on it. But we do need to talk about what happens behind the scenes. Because behind the allure of each new gadget lies a growing and far less glamorous problem: electronic waste.

THE DARK SIDE OF YOUR DEVICES

In 2022, the world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste, a number expected to rise by a third by 2030. According to the United Nations, this waste is rising five times faster than the systems in place to recycle it.

E-waste includes phones, laptops, batteries, chargers ~ anything with a plug or a battery. If it’s not sat in a drawer, a huge amount ends up in a landfill.