Happy Open Data Day everyone!
What is open data day?
Open Data Day is an annual celebration of open data all over the world. Groups from around the world create local events on the day where they will use open data in their communities. It is an opportunity to show the benefits of open data and encourage the adoption of open data policies in government, business and civil society.
All outputs are open for everyone to use and re-use.
Learn more at: https://opendataday.org/
This year, we’re celebrating the day by inviting you to join our investigation into the environmental impacts of our devices, which you can learn more about here:
We need your help to track down life cycle assessment (or LCA) reports that companies and researchers sometimes publish on the products we buy. These reports estimate the environmental impacts each device has at every stage of its life, from the materials that go into it, to manufacturing, transport, use and end of life. This includes the amount of CO2 produced by each device.
Here are some examples:
a Dell monitor [PDF]
An Apple iPhone [PDF]
A Lenovo laptop [PDF]
This data can help us quantify the benefits of repairing things and we think it should be open to everyone. But it’s often hard to find. Some companies hide it in obscure corners of their websites or only make it available in hard-to-process formats. Many don’t even publish it at all.
Can you help us track some down?
In particular, we’re trying to find CO2 data on the following types of devices:
- Home office devices, e.g.: printers & scanners (we already have lots of data for computers, smartphones and tables)
- Audio/video equipment, e.g.: cameras and DSLRs, headphones, hi-fis/speakers, home assistant devices (Alexa/Siri etc.)
- Kitchen devices, e.g.: blenders, coffee makers, kettles, toaster,
- Small household appliances, e.g.: fans, irons, lamps, power tools, sewing machines, vacuum cleaners, IoT devices
- Hair & Beauty items, e.g. hair dryers, hair straighteners/curlers, electric razors
If you want to join the hunt for data, simply post below letting us know which kind(s) of devices you’d like to investigate. And feel free to ask questions if you’re not sure about something