Production and Consumption of Mobile Phone Products and Services - Coursework Example

MOBILE PHONES AND THE ENVIRONMENT Name Course Tutor Date Introduction The use of mobile phones has increased globally. Roughly, over 6.7 billion people across the globe use mobile phones (GSM, 2009). The figure is a rough estimate and is therefore bound to exponentially increase as people populate and thus the need to acquire more phones (GSM, 2009). The mobile phone producers keep on innovating new products causing a shift in customer demands; the customers see the need to upgrade to the new models in the market that are proven to be efficient and fashionable to some extent, thanks to the attractive advertisement and promotion of mobile phone products (GSM, 2009). As a result the rate at which mobile phones get obsolete and thus disposal is very fast. When people get no use of the mobile phones, especially being that they are not recyclable, the only best way is to dispose them off in trash bags that find their way into dump sites. The ultimate destination even of the well discarded mobile sets is the landfills. It is a known fact that mobile phones are non-biodegradable, meaning that whatsoever time they take in the soil, they will not decompose. Mobile phones are known to release toxic chemicals that end up in the environment when they are carelessly or even carefully discarded. The statistical projection of the increase in the number of mobile phones that are obsolete and unused phones poses a threat to the environment. This essay will look into the production and consumption of mobile phone services and products and then relate this to environmental degradation that is bound to happen resulting from the two aspects. Production and Consumption of mobile Phone Products and Services Mobile phones have become the most central objects in the life of normal human beings. They serve to connect people to their loved ones, enhance business communications and transactions, institute intelligent behaviors, learning channels, and give citizens the voice to air their concerns especially in nations where phones are the only best way possible that people can use to spread information. Pasternack (2009) asserts that the ration of existence of mobile phones among the population of the world is very high. There are two cell phones in use for every three people randomly selected on earth. Despite the slow pace at which production of mobile devices brought in by the economic crisis, the mobile phones still experience a high turnover rate compared to any other product in the global market (Pasternack, 2009). An average person uses a mobile phone for only eighteen months or about 12 months in the United States, this compared to the lifespan of the phone that is roughly five years, reflects the rate at which phones get disposed or unused. There are about 3.5 million cell phones that are in use each day across the globe (Pasternack, 2009). This in essence represents half of the global population. The number of people who have subscribed for mobile phone services is about 4.2 billion, which is almost three and a half times the total sum of computers in use across the globe. China is the world’s largest cell phone producer and represents a large number of mobile phone ownership. The number of mobile phone owners in China is about 700 million. India has almost 445 million mobile phones and then United States 271 billion (Pasternack, 2009). About 100 million mobile phones are thrown away in Europe annually, 50 million phones bought in the UK alone annually. The number of phones that are idly lying in the drawers in households across UK is around 11, 250 tones. The rate at which people replace phones in the UK still stands at 18 months. Statistics indicate that in the UK, only 15% of the mobile handsets are carefully disposed and thus recycled. The estimated amount of carbon dioxide used to make a 90g phone is about 36kg (Pasternack, 2009; GSM, 2009). The number of mobile phone users for internet purposes has risen to 23 million in the US alone. Similarly, those using text services in US still remain at 3 million. One trillion dollars was recorded as revenue in the telecommunication industry doubling that of advertising and computer sales (Pasternack, 2009). This in itself reflects the increase in the number of mobile phone consumers in the world. As of May 2014, The International Telecommunication Union noticed that the number of mobile phone subscribers across the globe was 7 billion this compared to the previous statistics represent a sharp rise in the number of subscribers (Pasternack, 2009). The trend in increase is as follows; 2011-5.9 billion; 2012-6.2 billion; 2013-6.7 billion; 2014-7.1 billion. It is therefore evident that the number of subscribers is ever increasing. The sum of mobile subscriptions in the developed countries is rapidly increasing and nearing the saturation point. There are about 1.5 billion increase annually subscribers in the developed nations. The growth of economies of developing world has created market and thus demand of mobile phones especially in China and India. There is an estimated 5.4 billion users in the developing nation which accounts for 78% of the total global consumption. The penetration of mobile phones in the developing nations’ market is 90.2% even though there is still a marked potential growth particularly in Africa where the rate of penetration is still 64%. The mobile fact book predicts that there will be about 8.5 billion by the end of 2016. When Apple released its iPhone 4S, the sales were ate 4 million in the first week this was even a better performance compared to the sales when iPhone was launched that was 1.7 million. This not only reflects success but the effects that come along in the soil, air and water (environment). According to Palmer (2011) in 2007 Americans trashed over 127 million mobile phones replacing them with new capable smartphones. This widely contributed to the global electronic waste as well as the degradation of the environment. Stake Holders The mobile phone market is comprised of many manufacturers some of which are still budding. The share according to every nation would map the developed world on top of the third world countries who feel most of the impact being that some of the refurbished and less quality mobile products get their ways in the market either legally or illegally (Thomas, 2004). In UK for example the top five manufactures comprises of Nokia which has the greatest base in the UK. Siemens holds about 5% of the market share (Thomas, 2004). Samsung then follows closely, and then Sony-Ericson and Motorola closes the big five. This does not discredit other manufactures but their market share in UK is slightly lower. Impacts of Mobile Phones on the Environment The rise in the number of mobile phone users, manufacturers and distributors is all to blame for the environmental impacts of the devices. A sneak peek into the life cycle of a mobile phone would offer a deeper insight on the impacts that result from their usage. At every stage from use, transportation and discard of mobile phones, there is a confounding consequence on the environment; negative of course. According to GSM (2009), it is estimated that when in use, mobile phones release about 60kg of carbon dioxide and about 122 kg of the same gas annually. During the manufacturing of the mobile phones there is an estimated emission of 16kg of CO2 nearly equivalent to 1kg of beef (GSM, 2009; Lim & Schoenung, 2010). The power consumed in a span of 2 years elevates the figure to 22kg. However, the footprint of the energy consumed to transmit signals from one mobile phone alone to the other through any given network still stands at 95kg of CO2 nearly the equivalence of the life cycle of the phone (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). During the entire life cycle of a smartphone including the functionality and network usage, an estimated 68 kg of carbon dioxide is released (GSM, 2009). For the global users the amount rises to 120kg. The carbon dioxide gas that is released into the atmosphere has inadvertent adverse effects on the environment. The release has been directly associated by the increase in green house gases that cause the breach of the ozone layer that covers earth form cosmic radiations. As a result there has been increase in the temperature levels on planet earth causing glaciers to melt. This has caused the sea levels to rise jeopardizing the lives of people living near large water bodies. The mobile phones emit mega joules of energy when transmitting signals through networks this is equivalent to almost 7.5 gallons of gas into the atmosphere that results into the aforementioned effects (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). Even when unused and unplugged in the charger, there is release of energy since it consumes energy itself. The mobile phones too tend to consume a lot of power when carelessly left charging even when full. This is because a number of consumers are not aware of the implications of not turning off the charger once the phone has been fully charged (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). When the life cycle of a battery used in the handsets diminishes, they are usually thrown into trash cans and end up being dumped in the environment without proper measures. This releases chemicals into the atmosphere that are harmful for the microorganism and humans as well. The process of manufacturing cellular devices is energy intensive than its corresponding use reflecting even a greater environmental impact (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). The semiconductors, the circuit boards, and batteries manufacture produce chemical substances. For example, when manufacturing the semiconductors such as silicon that is widely used in mobile phone manufacture, large quantities of water and industrial chemicals are incorporated (Hart, 2011). These substances are toxic and non-renewable such as gold, cadmium, platinum, silver, mercury and other precious metals (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). The materials cannot be recycled and thus end up in the landfills. These chemicals in turn find their ways into the food chains of organisms and have adverse effects, the most common effect being mutations, which are disadvantageous to the ecosystem (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). Mobile phones also release heavy toxic metals that are non-recyclable and non-biodegradable. The metals include: silver, gold, nickel, mercury, lead, beryllium, manganese, lithium, arsenic, tin and others. The heavy metals find their way into the environment when the phones are disposed off in landfills, leading to serious consequences in the ecosystem. The chemicals if accumulated in the human tissues can cause very adverse effects ranging from illnesses to cancer and other malignant growths (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). A good example is cadmium, which through various studies and research has been established to be carcinogenic; having the ability to induce tumors in the cell. Lead poisoning has been reported in various parts of the world resulting from poor disposal of the mobile phone accessories such as batteries and the phone as a whole into landfills and other water bodies (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). Apart from the carbon footprint and the aforementioned hazardous wastes, the leakage of heavy meals and other substances from landfills may have various effects (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). Cadmium whose effects have been shown to be carcinogenic is released from the batteries; release from only one phone could contaminate about 600 thousand litres of water (GSM, 2009). Lead on the other hand affects the immune systems of organisms as well as the nervous system including brain cells damage (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). Brominated flame retardant that is used in joining plastic boards and plastic cases is also carcinogenic and causes liver damage apart from affecting the neurological paths (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). The toxic imprint put in the environment is very difficult to curb. The liquid crystal displays used in phones contain mercury whose vapors are toxic (Hart, 2011). Other toxic chemicals include lead, nickel and beryllium that is present in the circuit boards, nickel, lithium and cadmium in the batteries, and other more chemicals (Yu et al, 2010). These substances accumulate in the atmosphere for quite a long time and may end in human beings in the form of food chains. Lithium and mercury have been shown to be hyperactive and poisonous to human tissues. Lithium is common in the Li-ion batteries (Yu et al, 2010). In case there is exposure of lithium to water or rather moisture, there is the ignition of fires that are usually very difficult to ignite. The fire causes environmental degradation in the sense that the toxic fumes are released into the atmosphere and accumulate to undesirable levels (Hart, 2011). The size of a mobile phone though small, the bigger picture is the resultant effects that are bound to be accrued following its use (Yu et al, 2010). The statistics indicated above in this paper reflect what it would be like in an average year. The release of these toxic chemicals would be so high that they cannot be contained thus adversely affecting the environment. The plastics casings of the phones are very difficult to re use and even if so, the energy consumption would be slightly higher than before, not mentioning the propensity of toxic releases. This is because the plastic itself is contaminated by embedded metal and paint. Apart from the aforementioned impacts to the environment when the mobile phone remains are incinerated or fire ignited in landfills as a result of the retardants, there is the emission of sulphur compounds, low level ozone compounds, and fumes that lead to the suspension of smog (Hart, 2011). Smog highly impacts the life of plants and other organisms in the ecosystems and to its worst causing respiratory problems to people (Thomas, 2004). When there is poor disposal of the mobile phone accessory parts due to negligence and lack of proper evaluation of the environmental impacts, would lead to the destabilization of the soil fertility and the aquatic ecosystems that could lead to the extinction of some aquatic life that are important for that particular ecology (Hart, 2011). During incineration the retardants produce toxic fumes that partition into the water levels in the underground and may get their way into human and animal diets through their food chains. Needless to mention is the effect of the acidic based fumes on the rain that then turns to acidic rain leading to the destruction of plant life as well as manmade structures through corrosion (Thomas, 2004; Lim & Schoenung, 2010). Mitigation of the Mobile Phones Impact on the Environment The mobile market is very dynamic and new designs keep on evolving daily. The current trend is the IPhones and the Smartphones that have taken the mobile phone market with a great shift (Hart, 2011). This then means that there has to be factors that are put in place to mitigate the effect of the aforementioned impacts. This could be done in the form of legislations and regulations that will increase the efficiency of the product while at the same time taking care of the environment (Li et al, 2012). One way the manufacturers can reduce the impact they are causing in the environment is to reassess their supply chain (Hart, 2011). Microsoft mobile for instance operates a global manufacturing network. The company ensures that there is compliance with all the environmental requirements in its in-house manufacturing plant (Li et al, 2012). Nokia supplier requirements must meet the ISO requirements calling for the assessment of the suppliers. The aim of this is to take care of the green house gases and energy consumed by the devices during their life cycles (Microsoft, 2015). The company strongly maintains that the suppliers of hardware comply with the set environmental policies in their agreements these policies make it possible to track energy consumption, hazardous waste, and chemical management during manufacture (Yu et al, 2010). The company makes sure that the countries where they outsource their raw materials are in compliance with the environmental policies and standards. Most of the manufactures have conducted impact assessments and are aware of the environmental impacts. Pursuant to the assessments the manufactures have come up with legislations that have sound environmental policies (Li et al, 2012). Microsoft Nokia for instance has a whole section of the website devoted to stipulation of its environmental standards and regulations, specifically the one governing the full life cycle evaluation of all the products as well as raw materials from the supplier so as to mitigate environmental degradation (Microsoft, 2015). The policies also give an overview of the principles put in place to minimize the energy consumption through re use and recycling of the materials once they attain their end life. Some of the strategies used by the companies include recycling of the materials and waste, use of compatible materials that least harms the environment, avoiding at all cost the contaminants, clear identification and marking of the components of the mobile phones, and using easily removable batteries and in print wire boards (Yu et al, 2010). The above stated aspects are just but few designs functionalities that increase the efficiency of the mobile phone. One way to reduce the turnover rate is to prolong the use life of the cell phones through repair and upgrade capabilities of phones (Yu et al, 2010). Companies are using software and hardware that are easily upgradable to ensure that the life cycle of a mobile phone is increased. The generation of apps has made it easy to monitor the functions of the mobile phones especially smartphones. Once the phone is fully charged, it signals the user to unplug it off the power source thus minimizing energy released into the atmosphere. The main issue at hand is to reduce the energy consumption that is directly proportional to environmental degradation. This move alone is a milestone in mitigating environmental impacts. This is mainly experienced in the use phase of the mobile phone (Li et al, 2012). There is no legislation currently that enforces the efficiency power supply targets. Nokia and other aforementioned mobile phone manufactures have signed the EU voluntary Code of Conduct that oversees the external supplies of power (Li et al, 2012). This code is aimed at reducing the consumption of power during use and when the phone is in standby. Companies involved in manufacturing are also recycling the mobile phone parts as a result reducing the impacts of the products on the environment (Thomas, 2004). There is also the option of reusing phones. The major concern as at now is the total number of mobile phones that are lying idle and are not in use in the households (Thomas, 2004; GSM, 2009). UK presents one of the countries that have made reuse of outdated phone a reality (Thomas, 2004). At the end of life there are companies that get the mobile phones and refurbish them for sale overseas. In the UK, Fonebak is one such company that is supported both by the government, non-governmental organizations and the top five aforementioned mobile phone suppliers (Palmer, 2011). The company is run by Shields Environmental. The company has designated collection points where the phones are collected, the old sim cards removed and the phone refurbished (Palmer, 2011). Additionally, there is also the option of free to post envelopes. This is very effective as about 60% of the unused phones are collected annually (Palmer, 2011). At the center the phones parts that have been broken are replaced, and the locked phones unlocked or factory reset prior to sale in Asia, Europe, Africa and Middle East (Thomas, 2004). Those handsets that are post repair are cannibalized for usable components that are salvageable. The components are used to do other duties in same or different industries. The plastic parts can be used for energy production (Thomas, 2004). Fonebak handles over 100 thousand hones annually and saves the environment a great deal (Thomas, 2004). In North America, ReCellular is responsible for the same practice as Fonebak refurbishing almost 300 thousand phones a month (Thomas, 2004). Since its launch in 2004 the company has assisted clear over 20 million phones that are always refurbished and sold in the developing world (Thomas, 2004; Palmer, 2011). This is made possible by innovation that comes up with efficient designs that are cost effective and have impact in the environment. This company also has coverage in China, Canada, USA, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Hong Kong in terms of the recycling and refurbishment plants. In Australia AMTA’s Mobile Muster conducts a national recycling programme (Thomas, 2004). Ever since establishment in 2005, there has been a significant reduction in the number of mobile waste in the country (Thomas, 2004). This has helped in reducing environmental waste. The other factor that could mitigate the environmental damage is the use of materials that are of less impact in the manufacturing process. This could include substitution of the materials associated with the degradation of the environment. The first step in this method is to conduct an impact assessment of the products and ascertain the availability of the substitutes. For example purified copper is found to have more confounding effects and degrading capabilities compared to recycled and purified copper Role of Technological Innovations and Environmental Regulation in Promoting Sustainable Practice Technological advancement promises the reduction of the environmental footprint of the economic activities that are geared towards productivity and thus the degradation of the environment. Sustainable practice could be defined by different authors in different ways. However, in its simplicity it refers to the utilization of resources at the same time keeping track and check of the environmental impacts that are likely to accrue when the resources are being explored (Palmer, 2011; Smith et al, 2010). Technological innovation for sustainability practices in the field of mobile phones takes into account all the developments that are geared towards making the environment clean. The most efficient innovation lies in the design of the phones (Smith et al, 2010). The mobile phones have now been replaced by smartphones whose capability of polluting the environment is reduced a great deal (Palmer, 2011). With the generation of smartphones there are applications that are accessible over the internet that enable the batteries consuming less energy through conserving power usage. The application softwares that are integrated to the mobile hardware are able to alert the user when the phone is fully charged so they can unplug it (Palmer, 2011). Additionally, they are also able to reduce power consumption when the smartphone is in standby mode, through halting the programs that are running in the background (Palmer, 2011). The design of the smartphones is also efficient enabling easy dismantling of the phone should there be need to recycle its parts (Thomas, 2004). There has also been need to reduce consumption of power during charging through effective innovations (Palmer, 2011; Smith et al, 2010). Research is underway aiming, at reducing the functionality of the smartphones when the programs are not in use through partitioning. There have also been regulations that are meant to promote sustainable practices aimed at protecting the environment and the consumers (Yu et al, 2010). Some of the legislations that promote sustainable practices include the design of mobile phones that minimize resource consumption and at the same time increasing efficiency and making recycling process easy and environmentally and socially fit mobile devices. Second initiative is funding environmental and charity bodies. The other initiative is the development of low cost mobile phones for the developing countries (Thomas, 2004). There have been sound policies that govern the end of life management practices by the manufacturers and recyclers (Thomas, 2004). Governments have come up with legislations that are meant to govern the recycling of the mobile phone wastes. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and RoHS directives promulgated by the EU (Thomas, 2004). Most of the manufacturers have signed agreements with the Environmental Protection agencies to adhere to the ISO standards through use of green products and at the same time also ensuring that all their activities are directed towards a sustainable environment. Conclusion The number of mobile phones in use is very astounding. What this then reflects is that as population increases, so does the number of people who use mobile phones. With globalization nearly all business transactions are propagated through phones. This paradigm shift reflects the impact that is being felt on the environment as a result of poor disposal, landfill leakages, and negligence in handling these phones. The impacts that accrue as a result of poor handling and later disposal of the phone harm not only the environment but also the ecosystems that are found within the environment. To combat the impacts of mobile phones in the environment most mobile phone manufacturers have invested heavily in research and design so as to come up with efficient products that promote sustainable development (Smith et al, 2010). Apart from design and research the companies also have signed agreement with the ISO that sets standards that guard the environment (Smith et al, 2010). There are companies that have invested in recycling and refurbishing of phones. Others have also come up with strategies that ensure that customers once done with their phones they return them and are given discounts when making purchases.Landfills still remain a challenge in the disposal of mobile phones (Hart, 2011). However, it is worth noting that plastics and other electronic parts contained in a mobile phone several years to degrade (Lim & Schoenung, 2010). 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