BORN TO DIE – AND SCRAPPED WITHIN 2-3 YEARS.
Image iStock
A modern smartphone contains more computing power than Apollo 11 did in 1969. Yet it is made to be scrapped within 2-3 years. This is no accident, but a strategy for endless growth without taking responsibility for the environmental consequences.
By manufacturing in a way that makes repair difficult, technology giants have created a resource madness that serves a few companies and does irreparable damage to the planet.
Physical barriers are engineered into modern devices to prevent repair. Some examples are:
Lithium batteries are glued in place, making them practically impossible to replace, and they risk exploding if prised out.
Proprietary, tamper-proof screws (e.g. Apple’s pentalobe screws) specifically designed to lock out standard consumer tools.
Several components (such as a screen or a camera) are cryptographically serialised to a specific motherboard. Even if you swap a genuine screen from one identical iPhone to another, the software detects the unauthorised serial number and disables features such as Face ID or battery health indicators.
A company cannot claim to be saving the planet with a recycled chassis while aggressively blocking software updates or replacement batteries that would double the device’s lifespan.
Repeated attempts at accountability, and laws for ethical production, are fought with scare tactics by the technology giants.
For years, lobbyists have argued to lawmakers that letting consumers repair their own electronics would lead to widespread cybersecurity hacks, lithium battery fires and threats to intellectual property.
One example of the madness is when Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 in October 2025 and around 400 million PCs had to be replaced – not because they were old, but because overnight they became a security risk. The result was an even bigger mountain of electronic and toxic waste.
Extraction, refining and production of raw materials account for as much as 80% of a mobile phone's total carbon footprint. In other words, the environmental bill is paid before the user has even switched the device on
Fortunately, positive things are happening
The EU's right-to-repair directives came into force on 31 July 2026. Similar laws are on the way in the USA.
We are also seeing local initiatives all over the world. The rise of the «Right to Repair» movement – from independent repair shop owners fighting to survive, to local farming cooperatives hacking John Deere tractors with Ukrainian software to fix their own equipment.
According to the EU, phones and PCs must be made to last at least 7 years, but there is a long way to go. Technology companies exploit loopholes in the law: they comply by making spare parts available, but the parts are priced so high that it is still cheaper to buy a new phone than to buy spare parts. «If consumers cannot open a phone, modify it or repair it, they never own it – they merely subscribe to it.»
«If consumers cannot open a phone, modify it or repair it, they never own it – they merely subscribe to it.»
What we must demand:
We demand a complete overhaul of ecodesign laws. Repair must be freed from the manufacturer's control. We must require standardised, modular parts and open, simple repair manuals.
As we see with Fairphone, among others. Every part can be replaced, ensuring a long lifespan.
We must demand that our preferred mobile suppliers follow the same principles, so that future products and solutions are not born to die – as early as possible.
Book a talk on how we can protect the planet by limiting our consumption of electronics and data