In the loop
What does it take to produce a phone? That will eventually turn into e-waste?
Up to 41 million tonnes of e-waste from goods such as computers and mobile phones are generated by the electronics industry each year according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
Katherine Whalen, researcher at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, is the brains behind In the Loop – a game developed to increase awareness about the materials we use to produce electrical goods.
In the game, each player takes on the role of a manufacturing company that has to create products by navigating world events, environmental hazards and regulations, child labor laws, and global resource supply chains.
What will YOU as a player do – will you collaborate with competitors, ignore regulations, invest in mining new materials – or change your business model?
– How we use materials has serious economic, political, implications in today’s global market. The game increases awareness of this complex eco-system and highlights what it actually takes to produce a phone, Katherine Whalen says.
Text: Noomi Egan
Film: Catrin Jakobsson
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