Can iFixit fix it for wasted assets? Yes we can!
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
iFixit is a company on a mission — and that mission is to teach the world how to repair everything they own.
But says the firm, a successful repair often hinges on consumers and users at every level having access to quality replacement parts.
Simple logic — no part, no repair
News this month sees iFixit, partnering with Electronic Recyclers International (ERI) — the largest recycler of electronic waste in the world — to make repair possible for gadgets of all kinds.
“Together, we’re working to keep as many electronics as possible in use and out of landfills,” says the firm.
From its eight facilities in the US, ERI processes over 250 million pounds of electronic waste for recycling each year—from tablets to digital cameras, laptops to flat screen TVs.
Many of these devices still work. Some have broken screens but functional internals. Others have never even been used.
One we spend it, it’s lost energy
Manufacturing electronics requires a massive outlay of energy and natural resources—embodied energy that we can’t recover in recycling.
Between 20-35% of the material content of a cell phone, for example, is lost when it is melted down for recycling—including critical rare earth metals.
“The hardest part of repair can be finding good parts. Many manufacturers just don’t make them available,” says iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens. “Now, by partnering with ERI, we can make parts available for hundreds of gadgets that were previously unfixable. With step-by-step guides and quality parts, you can fix anything.”
As a firm with a vested interest in efficiency, iFixit reminds us that iIt doesn’t make sense to shred functional electronic devices and components—especially when consumers and repair shops need wider, more reliable access to quality repair parts.
Harvest (component) festival
That’s it is working with ERI to harvest components from electronics slated for recycling. In doing so, iFixit hopes it will be able to help consumers repair devices—like Kindles, GoPros, and Nexus devices—that have never before had a steady supply of replacement parts.
“We are very excited to be partnering with our friends at iFixit,” said John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of ERI. “Finding new ways to keep electronic waste out of landfills has always been part of our DNA as an organization, so it makes sense to partner with a company that is bringing dead or dying devices to life through refurbishment. We’re looking forward to blazing this new path of innovation alongside our likeminded partners at iFixit.”
Just like the rest of iFixit’s parts, replacement parts sourced from ERI will be rigorously tested and backed with the firm’s lifetime warranty.
