Are we having into account that cables break, eventually? I say this because of all the e-waste-because-of-cables I’m receiving.
Yeah, not including them would be a step, although I personally keep using the previous cable and keep the new one in the box until I need it.
But I think that, if we really want to decrease the rate at which we generate e-waste, we should really focus on shifting towards a more sustainable model of consumption, and that starts with more durable products. Durable cables would be one. Repairable devices that are updated and maintained for at least a decade (with the powerful chips we have nowadays, it is possible) would be another one.
Look, I use an iPhone SE 3. It’s an awesome device. And even on iOS 18, with its A15 from three generations ago, it’s still plenty fast. However, I know soon they will keep cramming features into the OS and my device will eventually slow down. But even if they keep this features out for my device, like Apple Intelligence, I know after 6 or 7 years of the release of the iPhone 13 (2019?) they will stop providing updates to my iPhone. That means, that even if the complete redesign of iOS 26 runs well on my iPhone (and that’s a big “if”), it is likely that iOS 27 or, being lucky, iOS 28, will be the last operating system for this absolutely capable smartphone. I really hope they keep providing security updates for at least two more years, that would cover me until 2030, but then what? This iPhone covers absolutely all my needs and I don’t really need to get a newer, bigger iPhone. I’m happy with this old-looking iPhone.
It’s not only about the software. It’s also about the replacement parts. The iPhone SE was discontinued in December of last year, that means that 7 years after (2032) this iPhone SE 3 will be declared obsolete. Vintage? So better get any repair or battery replacement before 2032.
I know, I know, this many years is much more than what we already had two decades ago. However, if it were me, and I had to elaborate a plan to reduce e-waste, more important than recycling is reusing, and keeping those older, but perfectly capable devices running for much longer, even if they are missing new features.
I’d extend the software support for iOS devices up to 8 years (from the 7 we unofficially get) plus three more years of security updates. That’s 11 years in total.
In the same vein, I’d keep updating Apple Silicon Mac systems for at least 9 years, with the same philosophy: maybe leaving some features that need a beefier or more modern SoC in the sixth or seventh year, but releasing the new software until 9 years after the launch of that Mac. And then, another 3 years of security patches. A total of 12 years.
It’s not much more than what currently have, and that extra couple of years we would add, would significantly reduce e-waste allowing anyone who purchases a new device to use it for more than a decade. Even stretch them up to 15 years. Maybe it’s not economically sustainable, but the amount of e-waste generated each year because of the “getting the newest, shiniest device” every 2 or 3 years is also unsustainable. From the point of view of the e-waste but also because of the materials and rare earths needed for the manufacture of those devices. I think we should just slow down our consumption pace.
