On the occasion of Black Friday, Greenpeace commissioned a study into the extent to which a longer use of products affects the greenhouse gas footprint in Austria. The commissioning research agency INFRAS examined products in five categories (washing machines, laptops, smartphones, clothing and furniture). It is clear that a longer lifespan always makes sense from an environmental point of view.
If all five researched consumer products in Austria were to be used for 50 percent longer, this would save 1.95 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents per year. This roughly corresponds to the emissions of the last Austrian coal-fired power station in Mellach in three years.
Greenpeace Austria is demanding more incentives and better opportunities for repairs in all product areas, as well as a ban on the destruction of new goods. “If the rest of the world consumed like we do in Austria, we would need three planets. Our consumption of resources is absurdly high. It is time to fundamentally question production methods and consumer behavior and massively expand repair, sharing and reuse,” says consumer expert Lisa Panhuber.
In total, consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions in Austria amount to at least 120 million tonnes per year. In a per capita comparison, Austria is among the top 25 countries with the highest greenhouse gas footprint in the world. About nine percent of this is attributable to the production of consumer goods, which is about eleven million tons of CO2.
2.1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents alone could be saved each year if, for example, all garments in Austria were worn twice as long. This corresponds to the emissions of about 100,000 average Austrian households. If all smartphones in Austria were to be used for 1.5 years longer, 55,800 tonnes of CO2 equivalents could be saved. PET recycling yields annual savings of only approximately 33,700 tonnes of CO2 equivalents.
“It is often claimed that the energy efficiency of new products is better, but the leaps are small today, so the footprint of new production predominates. It is therefore almost always better to use modern products for longer than to switch to a new device after a short time,” emphasizes Quirin Oberpriller, head of the study at INFRAS.
In addition to greenhouse gas reduction, a longer lifespan of products has a number of other positive environmental effects, such as lower energy consumption, less land use or less waste. To extend the life of consumer products, it is therefore essential that products are shared, reused and repaired.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
