Taking Action
You’ve listened, learned, and reflected on digitalization and ecological justice. Now it’s time to take action. Below are three interactive Side Quests to help you go deeper into the issues. The section “Tools You Can Use” provides you with pro tips to help organize and advocate in your context.
Side Quests
Below are links to organizations with experience in advocating at the intersection of ecological and digital justice. There is also an online tour of a mining site, so you can see (virtually) firsthand where some of the raw materials in your digital devices come from.
E-Waste Monitoring and Tracking
The E-Waste Monitor provides reports and data on electronic waste (e-waste) globally, regionally, and nationally. It evaluates the quantities and flows of e-waste, facilitating the development of recycling infrastructure, sound policies, and legal frameworks.
The site features various e-waste monitors, special reports, and updates on e-waste statistics to support sustainable practices and circular economy initiatives.
(Source: The E-Waste Monitor, managed by the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP). This partnership includes the United Nations University (UNU), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Kamoto Copper Company Virtual Tour
Approximately 60% of the world’s cobalt is produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In digital devices, cobalt is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries powering smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles.
Here you can take a tour of a cobalt mining operation run by Glencore, a Swiss multinational resource extraction company. The tour is a promotional piece for the company, but still provides an immersive view of the scale and impact of cobalt mining.
(Source: Glencore, image generated by Bing AI.)
Right to Repair
Advocacy
The Right to Repair Europe website provides a collection of publications related to EU policy on repairability and sustainability. It includes feedback, press releases, position papers, and comments on various legislative initiatives and proposals aimed at promoting repair and reducing electronic waste.
Right to Repair Europe is a coalition representing over 100 organizations from 21 European countries, including environmental NGOs, community repair groups, social economy actors, spare parts distributors, self-repairers, and repair and refurbishing businesses.
Tools You Can Use
Learning about the impact of digital devices and tools on the environment is a great first step. But you’re here because you want to see real change. Here are some advocacy tips and tools that you can adapt for your context, or use to grow your network of people and organizations striving for a greener digital future.
Digital Carbon Footprint Calculator
Available in nine languages, this online calculator uses data gathered by the Öko-Institut to calculate your digital carbon footprint. You can take a look at your gaming habits, video conferencing footprint, how much energy your smartwatch uses, and more.
Source: This website was created by Jens Gröger as a private project to visualize the effects of digital lifestyles. It is based on his scientific work at the Öko-Institut, a German research institute funded partially by European Union grants and government ministries.
TCO Certified Product Finder
You can use the TCO product finder tool to assess the sustainability of your digital devices, including the amount of recycled materials they contain and their energy consumption.
Source: TCO Certified, a leading international sustainability certification for IT products, developed by TCO Development, an independent organization based in Sweden.
OECD Going Digital Toolkit
This toolkit is a vast resource of data on everything relating to our digital world. It’s designed to help countries assess their digital development across a range of indicators. Sustainability, especially as outlined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is embedded throughout with data on e-waste and air pollution alongside gender and labour markers. You can use it to see how your country stacks up against others and play with the “Data Kitchen” to visualize the links between digitalization and ecological justice.
Source: The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), an intergovernmental organization that promotes policies to improve economic and social well-being, focusing on sustainable development, inclusive growth, and global trade cooperation.
This is an online community ready to help you get more life out of nearly everything in your home. The website has repair guides, a shop for quality parts and tools, and access to a community of fixers ready to help you out.
Source: iFixit, the self-proclaimed biggest self-repair community in the world. It was founded in 2003 by Kyle Wiens and Luke Soules who started posting repair manuals online.
Congratulations
You’ve done it! This is the last part of the last session in Taking Control, Making a Difference. Your hard work has paid off and you are equipped with the knowledge and tools to be a digital justice champion.
We’ve touched on everything from communication rights and accessibility to sustainability and the rise of robots. Together we are working to ensure that digitalization is a force for good in the world. Thank you for joining us along the way! Click the button below to finish the course and claim your badge.