Think CRT screens and clunky copying machines. Think Polaroid cameras and Kodak. Fast obsolescence is what continual technological innovation does to devices that get old quick, and sometimes disappear completely.
If you’re trying to understand technological obsolescence, think physical media in a digital world. Gone are the days of film reels and wind-up cameras. Such hardware (so many more examples could be named than we have space for here) seems fretfully out-of-place on today’s modern, digital landscape. It’s the tendency of tech to move forward at lightning speed, and that’s what makes things obsolete at such a fast clip.
In the business world and beyond, fast obsolescence often automatically translates into increasing volumes of e-waste. Though not all business leaders are making this connection, it really is an obvious one. As computer units, networks and mobile devices are upgraded or replaced by newer faster versions of themselves, the question will always remain, what to do with the old?
Fast Obsolescence vs. Built-in Obsolescence
Before moving forward, a brief word must be said about built-in, or planned, obsolescence. Though slightly different in meaning, the two terms tend to contribute equally to the e-waste issue.
Built-in obsolescence is the term used to describe design engineering which incorporates a set, end-of-life time period into the life cycle of an electronic device. For instance, some mobile phones are set to expire after one year of use. Built-in obsolescence is mainly a technology industry solution that hits hard on the rest of consumer world.
It attempts to address the fact that the penalty of a lack of quick innovation in the tech world is that a product can lose its relevance and slip by the wayside of consumer interest. To combat this inevitable conclusion, tech companies are producing products that fast-track and control the obsolescence factor making it more manageable and predictable.
It means that consumers are forced to buy on a timeline of sorts, and the updates and newer devices are purchased almost in a synchronized dance between new tech and buyer, but the e-waste factor is often not calculated into the choreography. Built-in obsolescence could be a huge contributor to the e-waste crisis in the near future, albeit at a more predictable rate.
Understanding Fast Obsolescence and its Velocity
In contrast, is fast obsolescence. Fast obsolescence is all about how fast an object becomes unnecessary or irrelevant. The velocity of obsolescence describes the rate at which this can occur for any given object. Those tracking the velocity of obsolescence find it quite easy to recognize that it’s increasing with remarkable acceleration.
While most of the skyrocketing turnover rates for electronic devices can be attributed to the fast pace of tech innovation, we mustn’t forget what’s driving that innovation. Consumer demand would be the topmost factor, at least from the manufacturer’s perspective, but then there are also advances in technological that are making smartphones and other electronics available faster and cheaper every year.
In addition, today’s consumers seem to foster a persuasive addiction to the newest and latest trends in electronics, driving manufactures to produce at faster rates without considering the end-game consequences of their actions – especially the impact they have on the environment.
According to a recent Gallop poll, 54% of Americans upgrade their phones when they become obsolete or stop working. This statistic reveals that many Americans are replacing their phones at a pace slower than the every two years encouraged by the industry. However, though many are waiting until obsolescence sets in, the velocity of obsolescence is steadily increasing and shortening the timespan between initial production and end-of-life for electronics.
And this statistic still shows that 44% of Americans ARE upgrading their phones at the normal rate of every two years, or about 22 months on average. This means that smartphones are tossed at just about the same rate. Most of these phones make their way to landfills or to tech graveyards lurking in closets, basements and attics of homes. The average recycling rates for electronics in America is resoundingly low, though improving, at 40.4%.
Obsolescence and the Circular Economy
Of all the sustainable solutions to the global scale problems created when technology meets environment, the circular economy model is the one that aims to make obsolescence obsolete. The term circular economy includes a number of sustainable approaches to things like the e-waste crisis involving various degrees of design ingenuity to cut waste from the start, in the production phase.
The idea is that electronics designed to stay out of the landfills longer, through repair and reuse, offer a more sustainable life cycle plan than the current models of built-in and inevitable obsolescence. Driving such concepts is the growing need to reduce resource consumption which seems inextricably tied to economic growth under current models.
Something wonderful happens when products are recycled and reused for as long as possible even after initial consumption instead of the old way of endless materials extraction to keep pace with tech innovation, the velocity of obsolescence and consumer demand. Circular economy models aim to break self-destructive cycles of perpetual waste production and render the obsolescence factor a fast-growing thing of the past.
For now, the onus is on policy makes to encourage the types of circular economy models that can help make electronic waste obsolete. By establishing standards and tax rates that encourage production design for recycling and reuse, policy makers hold the key to building a foundation for lasting change in the obsolescence end game.
Could Fast Obsolescence Be Happening In Your Company
If you’re working for a company that’s replacing electronics like laptops and computers at an accelerated rate, you’re business is probably a victim of the velocity of obsolescence. For companies like yours, engaging in partnership with a certified and sustainable recycler is crucial. Even with responsible electronics recycling in place, it may be time to consider smarter ways to avoid the fast obsolescence crunch and to invest in production inspired by the zero-waste circular economic model.