The Fair Electronics campaign aims to condemn the social and environmental impacts of the global electronics industry:
In the design of electronic devices, key decisions are made that affect the durability and repairability of products, as well as the sustainability and efficiency in the use of materials, and the energy consumption of the product. There are currently several practices on the part of manufacturers that do not favor a long useful life of the products , or an easy repair. For example, some products cannot be opened to change their parts for new ones.
Mining is one of the most polluting sectors and causes serious environmental and social damage. The extraction of resources negatively affects local communities and biodiversity, turning regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil into points of conflict for economic interest in materials such as coltan, lithium and copper, essential for the production of batteries and semiconductors. This situation underlines global inequalities and the responsibility of countries of the global north in the consumption of these resources, which often ignore the social and environmental implications.
The relocation of production to countries of the global south – especially in Asia – to lower labour costs, has gone hand in hand with the precariousness and exploitation of workers in factories, 70-80% of which are women.
The electronics sector is one of the industries with the most forced labour, and in which there are systematic labour rights violations. In the manufacturing phase there are also impacts (greenhouse gases and pollution).
The growth of large logistics companies, such as Amazon, has transformed distribution by maximizing efficiency and profits, often at the expense of labour rights and precarious working conditions. In addition, the industry contributes significantly to the environmental crisis with a high carbon footprint, especially affecting vulnerable communities.
The integration of digital technologies into everyday life has global implications for digital rights, eroding privacy and control of personal data, especially in communities with fewer legal protections. In addition, the use of these technologies can affect mental health and the development of children and young people, which highlights the need for a collective approach that protects human rights and reduces digital inequalities worldwide.
As a result of the increasing use of electrical and electronic equipment, and given that the useful life of products is short and their repair is difficult, electrical and electronic waste has become the fastest growing waste stream in the world. In Spain, for example, about 19 kg of electronic waste is generated per person each year. This has serious environmental implications, not only in the countries that generate the waste, but also in the countries of the global south to which a part of it is exported.
