A Reaction Paper to "story of Electronics by Annie Leonard"

Last Thursday, November 17, we watched one of the instalments of the Story of Stuff, which is the Story of Electronics hosted by Annie Leonard. This video reveals the shocking world of manufacturing most electronic products people are using today. The Story of Electronics is heartbreaking. It discusses about different people engaged in manufacturing electronics. First are the executives in charge of consumer electronics companies who allow their designers to use toxic materials and worse. Second are consumers who accept built-in obsolescence and cannot control their appetites for everything from smart phones to high-def TVs. And the third are citizens of developing nations living or working around e-waste, their land and water polluted by PVC, mercury, solvents, and flame retardants as a result of another country's consumer habits.

This "planned obsolescence" is what is happening right now. What does it mean? It means that electronic products will be designed and replaced by a more advanced products as quickly as possible. So, it results to what? More e-waste, of course. And what will happen to those wastes? That is the problem. Some manufacturers export their e-wastes to developing countries like, China, India, Ghana and Nigeria. The bad thing is that it is legal in US laws! Darn it. So, after exporting those wastes, who suffers? The people, the innocent people. As said, these electronics are concealed with toxic materials that are not good for the health of the people. Thus, it ends with different diseases that may murder those people. It just like a cycle isn't it?

So, where do we start? For me, we should start with the consumers. If the consumers are easily satisfied (which is impossible), then the manufacturers will not be enlightened to design and manufacture more products because, manufacturers design according to the demand of the consumers. Alternatively, we should also consider that if the companies use environmentally and non-toxic materials in making their products, and there are responsible for their waste, then we will have a good and healthy environment.