Each mobile would require a useful life of at least 25 years to compensate for its impact on the environment

• Climate crisis Roadmap to reduce CO2 emissions by half in 2030
• IPCC special report.The sea level will rise even faster than expected so far

The lifetime of a smartphone should be at least 25 years, compared to the current three on average, to compensate for its impact on the environment, and 20 years for notebook computers.

A report by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the largest citizen organization to protect Europe's environment , has revealed that the manufacture of new smartphones is what causes the greatest environmental impact in Europe, compared to other electrical products like washing machines, vacuum cleaners and notebooks .

In spite of this, in the report they affirm that if the useful life of each of these four electronic products were extended only one year, the equivalent of the withdrawal of two million cars from the roads during a year would be reduced, that is, four metric tons of carbon dioxide (Mt CO2).

Annually, within the European Union the creation of smartphones causes emissions equivalent to 14.12 Mt CO2 in total, according to the study. This is due to the intensity of energy and materials involved in "the production of its components, its special content and its critical materials," they explain in the report.

Thus, the manufacture, distribution and disposal of smartphones is equivalent to 72% of the total impact that electronic devices cause on the environment. However, this could be avoided if the duration of its useful life were extended beyond three years, which is its current average life.

Thus, in the report they explain that only extending the life of the smartphone for another year would save 2.1 Mt CO2, which is equivalent to one million cars being removed from the roads. On the other hand, if it extended three more years, 4.3 Mt CO2 would be saved, and if it were done for five years, it would be 5.5 Mt CO2.

Even improving the efficiency rate of the smartphone by 5%, so that these would not have an impact on the environment they would have to last between 25 and 232 years, which would require "a significant change in how the phones are designed and placed in the market, "they say in the report.

More than 210 million new smartphones per year

In the European Union there are more than 632 million units in stock and there are annual sales of more than 210 million smartphones . From the report they affirm that this is because they are considered fashion electronic products in continuous updating, which implies that they are often replaced before they break.

All this results in a shorter smartphone life. In addition, they declare that their manufacturing, transportation and end-of-life phases also consume energy and other resources that contribute to global warming. Thus, these so-called 'non-use phases' of smartphones have between 51 and 92% impact on global warming.

The increase in processing capacity increases energy consumption, so from the study they conclude that, from an environmental point of view, "it never makes sense to replace a smartphone ". In fact, they say that in that case it would mean creating "additional global warming both in its use and non-use phase".

A life of 20 years for notebooks

On the other hand, the report has revealed that the highest impact on global warming that notebook computers have comes from their non-use phases, due to the intense production of energy and resources of their integrated components. This implies an environmental impact of 12.82 Mt CO2, within the European Union stock, which is around 151 million units.

The manufacture, distribution and disposal of this type of products represents 52% of the total impact on the environment that notebooks have, in their four and a half years of average life. In the report they state that if life were to be extended by one year, 1.6 Mt CO2 per year would be saved by 2030, which would be equivalent to the withdrawal of 870,000 cars from the roads. If it were extended three years, 3.7 Mt CO2 would be saved and if it were done five years, it would be about 5 Mt CO2.

More than 27 million notebooks are sold annually at European level. Like smartphones , these are products considered fashionable and in continuous updating, which leads to them being changed sometimes before they break, making the life of notebooks shorter.

Thus, as with mobile devices from an environmental point of view, the report ensures that "it never makes sense to replace a notebook ." In addition, this idea is reinforced by the fact that as they also go towards higher processing capacities, this consumes more energy than creating additional global warming in both its use and non-use phases.

If an improvement in annual efficiency of 5% is achieved for the new notebooks , they still have to have a useful life of between 20 and 44 years so that they do not cause an impact on the environment. Other studies such as Prakash's have stated that even with a 10% increase in the energy efficiency of new notebooks , "the replacement of the old notebook can only be justified after 33 to 89 years."

On the other hand, from the BSE they say that public policy should "urgently" focus on promoting the manufacture of " repairable and upgradable smartphones and notebooks that can in particular adapt to changes in the software ."

Environmental impact of washing machines and vacuum cleaners

On the other hand, the report also analyzes the environmental impact of washing machines and vacuum cleaners, whose useful life should be at least 17 and 11 years, respectively, with an improvement in energy efficiency of 5% per year. This compared to the 11 and a half years and 6 and a half years that they have on average.

To compensate for greenhouse gas emissions from their production, distribution and withdrawal, washing machines should last between 25 and 40 years, while vacuum cleaners should do so between 18 and 48 years.

In the case of washing machines, on average, 25% of the environmental impact they cause comes from their phase of non-use, a percentage higher than that of vacuum cleaners, which is 21%. Thus, the study states that both in the case of washing machines and in the case of vacuum cleaners it makes sense, from a global warming point of view, to extend their useful life.

Thus, if the life of the washing machines is extended by one year, 0.25 Mt CO2 per year would be saved by 2030, the equivalent of removing 130,000 cars from the road. If it extends three years, 0.66 Mt CO2 would be saved, and if it was five years ago, it would be 1 Mt CO2. On the other hand, if the life of the vacuum cleaners is extended by one year, 0.1 Mt CO2 per year would be saved by 2030, the equivalent of removing 50,000 cars from the cart. If it extends three years would be saved, 0.3 Mt CO2, and if it extends five years, 0.5 Mt CO2.

We prefer to repair but it is more expensive

Nevertheless, the study reveals that 77% of European citizens prefer to repair their devices rather than buy new ones, but they end up being forced to replace or dispose of them because they are not compensated for the cost of repair and the level of service offered .

This leads to products having shorter lives and therefore increasing their impact on the environment, which translates into a consumption of resources and the creation of additional pollution, which is not what consumers want.

The causes of the decrease in the life of a product are, among others, "poor electronic and mechanical robustness", "induced software reasons", "high cost of repair", and "trends and desire for new functionalities ".

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• Environment
• science
• Science and Health

CienciaTrump threatens to freeze millions of dollars in federal funds for California because of its poor air quality

ScienceGreta Thunberg wins the Alternative Nobel for representing the "powerful" voice of a generation

CienciaDa Vinci, an ecologist in the Renaissance