The new disposables' sustainability burden

The technology industry is particularly prone to shortening product life cycles on account of the need for hardware to keep pace with demands of software. Typically, a consumer electronics device is obsolete by the time it arrives in the market. These cycles are becoming more compressed as computing-aided performance drives market demand. This creates a situation where buyers lose negotiating power in the market even as they’re buying much more than they were earlier. They have accepted obsolescence as a way of life. This gives rise to demands such as the right to repair. But this does not address the large issue of obsolescence rendering consumer electronics inoperable within a relatively short duration from the point of purchase.

The other dimension of technological obsolescence is its impact on sustainability. The tech industry doesn’t face any special obligation to recycle, which could have a restraining effect on product upgradation. Recycling should ideally be an industry-specific protocol based on the waste being generated and the ability to reuse materials from waste. Since the materials demand in any industry is likely to be consistent over time, processes should emerge on extracting the best outcome from waste. The nature of global value chains makes this a challenging endeavour given production is spread across economies based on their resource endowments. This shifts the onus of sustainability from industry to government. That does not permit a more productive approach to sustainability.

Since software companies are driving shorter device product cycles, they can’t escape their share of the sustainability burden. Specifically, energy intensity of computing that is exploding with generative AI must be accounted for. The negative externalities are yet to be priced in by investors creating the AI bubble. Both investors and consumers will have to assert their rights better in the technology space. Sustainability is as much their concern, and they need to seek mitigating strategies in their economic actions.