Hi all, I’m currently preparing a presentation about the importance of repair. I would like to start it with some statistics to highlight why repair is so important.
I would be interested to hear from other repair activists what they feel the most powerful repair related statistic is (ideally with a link referencing the relevant article).
This could relate to
production (including how sourcing raw materials can result in environmental destruction and conflict)
the impact of electronics and textile waste
how repair is supporting people with the cost of living crisis, skills, and wellbeing
the impact of overconsumption
anything else you feel is relevant
Really looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
PS:
Below are a few stats I came across recently that I found quite staggering:
the waste we generate per year weighs more off all people in Europe combined (though I can’t find an article to reference that)
I am doing a PhD about reducing the barriers to repair, and yes the amount of e-waste is staggering! and so so sad! I recommend having a look at the e-waste monitor, they release a yearly report for the whole world, its really well done, and has a lot of shocking statistics
I found the Global Resources Outlook 2024 really interesting (and deeply sobering) - some useful stats in there too.
The e-waste monitor that Alex mentions is great too.
Here’s a selection of facts, stats and claims from those reports and some other places that I find useful:
“Biomass growing and harvesting; mineral and fossil resource extraction; and processing of materials, fuels and food accounted for more than 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 and more than 60% if land-use change impacts are considered. This is a further increase compared to 2015 (reference year GRO 2019), demonstrating that climate mitigation efforts have neglected material-resource related impacts.” Source: United Nations Environment Programme. “Global Resources Outlook 2024: Bend the Trend – Pathways to a liveable planet as resource use spikes.” (Nairobi: International Resource Panel, 2024), 46. https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/44901
The UK is the second highest producer of e-waste per capita in the world after Norway, with the average UK resident producing 24.5kg of e-waste per year. Source: “The Global E-waste Monitor 2024.” (Geneva/Bonn: International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), 2024), 134. https://ewastemonitor.info/the-global-e-waste-monitor-2024
“Since 2010, the growth of e-waste generation [globally] is outpacing the formal collection and recycling by almost a factor of 5.” Source: “The Global E-waste Monitor 2024.” (Geneva/Bonn: International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), 2024), 10. https://ewastemonitor.info/the-global-e-waste-monitor-2024
Only around half of UK waste facilities (51%) offer any kind of reuse stream for unwanted products. Even where such provision exists, the types of products accepted tend to be limited: less than a fifth (18%) offer a reuse stream for small electronic and electrical equipment Source:https://therestartproject.org/beyond-recycling-of-e-waste/
“600 kilograms of raw materials are needed to manufacture a 2 kg laptop” Source: L. Magnier, R. Mugge, Replaced too soon? An exploration of Western European consumers’ replacement of electronic products, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 185, 2022, 106448, ISSN 0921-3449, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106448
For most types of item we see at community repair events, most of the global warming impact occurred before it was used for the first time. Around 80% of a smartphone’s total emissions occur before it even reaches its first owner. Source:https://therestartproject.org/consumption/hidden-impact-devices
Extending the lifetime of all washing machines, notebooks, vacuum cleaners and smartphones in the EU by just one year would save around 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually by 2030, the equivalent of taking over 2 million cars off the roads for a year. Source:https://eeb.org/revealed-the-climate-cost-of-disposable-smartphones
6.5kg of ore is needed for the 75g of metal to make the typical smartphone. And there’s a 100x more gold in a tonne of e-waste than in a tonne of ore. Source:https://www.beyondthebin.co.uk
“Provisioning decent living standards (DLS) for 8.5 billion people would require only 30% of current global resource and energy use, leaving a substantial surplus for additional consumption, public luxury, scientific advancement, and other social investments.” Source:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100612
This is absolutely fantastic, thank you so much! I will use them a lot, including for a statement at a council meeting to get more support of repair and reuse!