Understanding the Energy Cost of Manufacturing
Before diving into the benefits of repair, it’s important to understand the energy involved in manufacturing new products. The production of consumer goods requires a significant amount of energy. This energy is used throughout various stages, including:
- Raw material extraction: Mining, logging, and other forms of resource extraction are energy-intensive processes. For example, mining metals for electronics or extracting oil for plastic production requires vast amounts of energy, often from non-renewable sources.
- Manufacturing: Transforming raw materials into finished products involves numerous energy-consuming processes like smelting, molding, assembly, and transportation of materials to factories.
- Transportation: Once manufactured, products must be transported to retailers or directly to consumers, often across long distances, further increasing the energy footprint.
Each of these stages contributes to the overall carbon footprint of a product. When an item is thrown away, the energy invested in its creation is lost, and the energy cycle starts again with the production of a replacement. Repairing products disrupts this cycle, reducing the need for new resources and the energy associated with manufacturing.
How Repairing Saves Energy
1. Extending Product Lifespan
The most straightforward way repair saves energy is by extending the lifespan of products. By fixing a item, you avoid the need for a replacement, which in turn reduces the demand for new products and the energy required to produce them. For example, repairing a broken smartphone instead of buying a new one can save the energy equivalent of charging that phone daily for several years.
Extending the life of products through repair also delays their entry into the waste stream, where disposal processes like recycling consume additional energy.
2. Reducing Raw Material Extraction
Repairing products minimizes the need for raw material extraction, one of the most energy-intensive stages of manufacturing. For instance, recycling metals and minerals often requires substantial energy, but repairing an existing product eliminates the need for new materials altogether. Especially when certain components needed for the repair are being reused. This reduction in resource extraction directly translates into energy savings and lower environmental impact.
3. Energy Savings in Manufacturing
Manufacturing processes are energy-hungry, particularly in industries like electronics. Repairing a product means fewer items need to be manufactured, leading to a decrease in the energy consumption of factories. Moreover, many repairs—such as fixing electronics—require relatively little energy compared to producing new items.
4. Reducing Transportation Energy
When products are repaired locally, the energy spent on transporting new goods from factories to manufacturing sites and then to end-consumers is saved. This is particularly significant in a global economy where products often travel thousands of miles from production sites to consumers. Repair services, often local, contribute to energy savings by reducing the need for long-distance transportation of goods.
5. Lowering Energy Demand for Waste Management
Disposing of products involves energy-intensive processes, including collection, transportation, and processing of waste. Even recycling, while better than landfilling, requires energy to break down materials and transform them into reusable forms. Repairing items eliminates or delays these processes, contributing to further energy conservation.