Why we are „Challenging the Chip“: The Challenges of Sustainability in Electronics

Abstract

Ted Smith, co-founder of some of the first organizing efforts in the field of electronics activism, recounts the transformation of Silicon Valley from an agricultural center into the first hub of a global electronics industry and the rise of electronics activism in response to growing evidence of the industry's environmental and occupational health hazards. From their original focus on Silicon Valley, activists have broadened their effort to focus on end-of-life issues, especially through the demand for extended producer responsibility. They also address the globalization of production hazards, addressed through an „International Campaign for Responsible Technology? that links local actors and organizations in North America, Europe, and Asia in a global effort to advance a comprehensive agenda of labor rights and environmental justice.