Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

Pushing Manufacturers To Make More Resilient Products Will Go Long Way In Curbing E-Waste

Saturday, March 14, 2020, By Daryl Lovell
Share
College of Engineering and Computer Sciencesustainability

European lawmakers are considering new regulations that would push manufacturers to design products that last longer. It’s part of a global effort to curb “throwaway” culture where people buy products, use them for a short while and then throw them away.

Cliff Davidson, professor of engineering and environmental engineering program director at Syracuse University, commends the move. Instead of a culture centered around buying new things, Prof. Davidson advocates for a culture where rentals are more common. He says Americans may rebel against the practice, but serious change is needed to disrupt the status quo.

Davidson says:

“This problem with electronic waste is that it’s just the tip of the iceberg of all of our wastes…the real problem is about much more than e-waste. One of the key problems is that in order to keep many companies in profit mode, they need to have a continual demand for their product. What that means is they don’t want to build a cell phone that lasts forever because there won’t be people buying as many new cell phones as there are now. A lot of what we use, even outside of electronics, is built to eventually have problems with the physical device or to become less useful due to obsolescence (such as computers). If you have a laptop for more than a few years, it will probably be out of date because newer versions have more capabilities… it makes consumers want new ones. Manufacturers want to have continuous demand.

“There is one proposal that has been floated by others that I tend to agree with. It centers around the idea is that we shouldn’t be purchasing devices, but rather we should be renting them. That goes for everything from cell phones and computers to dishwashers and dryers and washers, air conditioners, etc. If we practiced renting instead of buying, there would be a tremendous incentive for manufacturers to build products that last. The manufacturer would be responsible for repairs and they would build their products so that those repairs were minimal.

“I suspect that in some cultures, people would be willing to go rent rather than buy. But I expect Americans would rebel against that. It’s a change in thinking about how you consume items and how you shop.

“Rebellion or not, we can’t keep the status quo. We have to make changes and I do think putting more pressure on manufacturers to make more sustainable products is a step in the right direction.”

 

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications

T 315.443.1184   M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell

The Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., 2nd Fl., Syracuse, NY 13202
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu

Syracuse University

  • Author
  • Faculty Experts

Daryl Lovell

  • Cliff Davidson

  • Recent
  • Exploring the Existence of Life at 125 Degrees Fahrenheit
    Tuesday, September 26, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • Cool Class: Mona Awad’s Art of the Fairy Tale
    Tuesday, September 26, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • How Climate Warming Could Disrupt a Deep-Rooted Relationship
    Tuesday, September 26, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • Be Proactive: How to Keep Yourself Safe on Campus
    Tuesday, September 26, 2023, By Christine Weber
  • Academic Strategic Plan Launch Symposium Set for Sept. 26
    Monday, September 25, 2023, By Wendy S. Loughlin

More In STEM

Exploring the Existence of Life at 125 Degrees Fahrenheit

There are an estimated 8.7 million eukaryotic species on the planet. These are organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. Although eukaryotes include the familiar animals and plants, these only represent two of the more than six…

How Climate Warming Could Disrupt a Deep-Rooted Relationship

Children are taught to leave wild mushrooms alone because of their potential to be poisonous. But trees on the other hand depend on fungi for their well-being. Look no further than ectomycorrhizal fungi, which are organisms that colonize the roots…

Turning Young Enthusiasts Into Scientific Researchers

Miguel Guzman ’24, a native of Lima, Peru, is a senior biotechnology major in the College of Arts and Sciences with an entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises minor in the Whitman School of Management. His research centers on developing bio-enabled protein…

Center for Sustainable Community Solutions and Environmental Finance Center Announces New Director

The College of Engineering and Computer Science is pleased to announce the transition of Melissa Young into a new role as director of the Center for Sustainable Community Solutions-Environmental Finance Center (CSCS-EFC) at Syracuse University. CSCS-EFC is housed within the…

Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Attends UN Session on Reducing Plastic Pollution

Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Svetoslava Todorova attended the second session of the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Negotiations Committee on Plastics this summer in Paris, France. Todorova was invited as an academic expert based on her research on the environment,…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • 2015-16 Remembrance Scholars
  • 25th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
  • About
    • SU Today Publishing Schedule
  • Authors
  • Campus Email Intake Form
  • Communications Contacts
  • Connect with SU
  • Contact
  • Defenses and Examinations
  • Exhibitions
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
    • Media Experts: Syracuse University Researchers on COVID-19
  • Home
  • Inside SU Landing Page
  • Lawrence B. Taishoff Center Q&A
  • Media Coverage
  • Orange Appreciation Days/Winter Break Information
  • Past Stories
  • Resource Library: Blogs
  • Resource Library: Crisis Management
  • Resource Library: Media Relations
  • Resource Library: Media Training
  • Resource Library: Op-Eds
  • Resource Library: Research
  • Resource Library: Social Media / Social Networking
  • Resource Library: Useful Web Links
  • Sections
  • Statement from Syracuse University Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina Regarding Law School Student Blog Matter
  • Student Spotlights
  • SU News Services Resource Library
  • Submit an Announcement
  • Submitting News and Events
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Submit an Event
  • Subscribe
  • Syracuse Views
  • Topics
  • University Community Harvest Farmers’ Market
  • Videos
  • What’s New
  • Yearly Archive
  • ’Cuse Conversations Page With Subscription Box
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.