This Friday, while Apple releases its newest iPhones, millions of students, employees, and advocates around the globe plan to walk out the door and join the closest Global Climate Strike. We will be joining them.
Irresponsible manufacturing and planned obsolescence is something we’ve been yelling about for quite awhile now, and we’ll be spending some of our Friday yelling about it some more. And now—globally—it’s time. It’s time to demand that companies and governments act for the health, safety, and well-being of everybody.
Our mission is to teach everyone to repair their things. Repair empowers people, creates jobs, and saves money. But the most important thing a healthy repair economy does is keep devices functional so new products don’t have to be made to take their place.
Manufacturing is expensive—both in resources and in carbon released into the atmosphere. If we’re going to slow climate change, it is imperative that we manufacture and consume less. We won’t need to manufacture 1.5 billion smartphones a year if we can make the phones we already have last longer.
Fix your stuff, fix the world. We’re fighting for the Right to Repair so that the planet will survive.
We join Patagonia and others in demanding that corporations and governments stop treating climate change like a marketing opportunity or political point, and more like the impending extinction event it is. If we have to disrupt workplaces and streets to get that point across, so be it. This world has the tools necessary to fix our big problems, but we have to be willing to pick them up and put them to work.
There’s a growing movement to hold the companies layering the earth in plastic junk responsible for the afterlife of their products. Flimsy plastic bags, food containers, disposable gadgets—we see these things spinning in the ocean and illegally dumped in the countryside, and we demand action.
Fortunately, we are starting to see a shift in attitude. Apple is using closed-loop materials. Fairphone is sourcing ethical minerals and rare earth elements for their phone. Retailers like Home Depot and Best Buy are offering single points of e-waste drop-off at their widely distributed stores.
But the most cost-effective, sustainable way forward is building repairable devices that are built to last, with parts and tools available to everyone. Long-lasting products need an ecosystem to survive. We’re fighting to make that ecosystem a reality.
This Friday, join us. Find a Climate Strike near you, spread the word, and start holding institutions accountable for real action toward changing the direction of the future.
Top image via WikiMedia
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crwdns2944067:010crwdne2944067:0
Getting political is not a good idea, imho.
Stick to what you do best, provide tips and tools for fixing stuff.
Kind Regards,
Konstantinos
rozakis - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Exactly. IFixIt is making crap supporting causes that are not even proven theoretically
Gerson Pereira -
Excellent that iFixit takes a position. Repair is good for the environment because keeping devices out of the landfill is absolutely essential. If we want to save the planet one device at the time then we have to make sure there will still be a planet left.
oldturkey03 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Thank you iFixit for taking a stance. Ignore people like rozakis - our world quite literally depends on organizations like yours to do the right thing. This is not a political issue, this is just the right thing to do.
derfbwh - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
How is striking going to do anything productive for the climate? Just think of all of the CO2 emissions that are generated from the electricity it cost to host this webpage, spread the word on social media, and all of the flyers that are going to be distributed.
…and who is the company that uses several sheets of plastic and cardboard to protect their glass and lithium products?
Taking care of God’s green earth is important, but if I were iFixit, I would be skeptical of taking any sort of stance on such a political topic with so much misinformation on both sides. IMO iFixit needs to focus on creating better products for lower cost that boost their profits.
iHelpU.Tech - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
iFixit is stupid
imricki20 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
It is always nice to see such a well formulated comment. Good job /)_-)
oldturkey03 -
Stay out of politics. Hard to take advice from a company that sells tools manufactured in the most polluting country in the worlds thousands of miles away from US. What’s the carbon footprint of what you’re selling?
Very disappointing to see the hypocrisy of the left media.
IamMe - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Gentlepersons,
I am afraid I disagree with most of you. Fighting for the right of repair is not a political issue, and the same holds true for the fight against climate change. These are issues affecting all of us, regardless of political or otherwise preferences. I will applaud any politician tackling theses issues, regardless of his/her/its political colours.
Thank you to iFixit to getting your point across.
Just Some Name - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Not the time to panic! Sure, man will suffer some for his mistakes but in the end knowledge of how to not repeat those mistakes is most important. Today, an evil cabal of men and secret organizations have put their biggest efforts into NOT letting young people know the history of where we live. We are being led into a world of confusion and the youth are suffering from ignorance of the real culprits. They are being led by those very culprits to draw attention away from a one world takeover, and the young are led to believe this is the correct way to go.
iFixit is doing a good job in one area that needs open access to support repairing instead of “buy-break-pitch-then buy-latest-model” that is not actually worth the price for such little upgrade.
Lastly, God will decide when this earth ceases to exist, not whatever man can do. Adapt to changes we really have little control over and repair and recycle! Don’t just pitch!
Ken Huffaker - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0