!1!Name:!! Recitation!Number:!!!Discussion Prep Four: Commodity Chain Analysis This discussion prep needs to be completed for recitation the week of October 10th. It is adapted from pg. 115 of your textbook. !The!contemporary!economy!produces!increasing!masses!of!“e5waste”—computer!monitors,!processors,!cell!phones,!televisions,!and!other!electronic!goods!that!while!often!still!functional,!are!thrown!away!or!occasiona l ly!recycled.!!Such!e5waste!typically!become!hazardous!as!they!contain!mercury!and!other!heavy!metals!that!enter!waterways,!ecosystems,!and!impact!human!health.!The!U.S.!Environmental!Protection!Agency!reports!that!Americans!trash!two!million!tons!of!unwanted!electronics!each!year!—!six!times!the!amount!they!recycle.!!!As!you!watched!in!class!in!the!Frontline!story,!Ghana:&Digital&Dumping&Ground,!the!distribution!of!e5wastes!is!not!equal!around!the!world!and!often!puts!many!people!at!risk!in!poor!countries!and!communities!far!from!the!place!where!the!original!electronic!product!was!purchased!and!used.!!A!political!economy!approach!to!the!problem!of!e5waste!includes!1)!an!insistence!that!the!planned&obsolescence!of!electronic!products!is!not!accidental!but!an!essential!part!of!the!system,!2)!that!the!unequal!‘dumping’!of!e5waste!in!poor!countries!is!also!an!important!part!of!the!capitalist!system,!and!3)!that!the!very!production,!consumption,!and!disposal!of!electronic!products!unevenly!distributes!environmental!costs.!!!For!recitation!this!week,!be!prepared!to!talk!about!e5waste,!and!the!commodity!chain!linked!to!one!of!your!favorite!electronics.!!!!Chose!one!of!their!favorite!electronic!items!(computer,!phone,!ipod,!ipad).!And!then!answer!the!following!questions!to!your!best!ability.!You!may!need!to!search!around!online!to!answer!some!of!these!questions!and!you!should!make!note!of!where!you!found!the!answers!and!how!long!it!took!you.!!You!will!spend!time!in!recitation!discussing!what!you!found!with!other!students!and!‘mapping’!out!the!commodity!chain!(from!production!to!disposal)!of!your!everyday!favorite!e5toy.!!PART%I:%Map%the%commodity%chain%of%your%favorite%electronic%!1. What!product!did!you!chose?!!!!2. Where!was!the!product!made?!This!includes!where!the!company!is!based!and!where!it!outsources!labor.!!!!!!2!3. Where!did!different!parts!for!the!product!come!from?!This!includes!any!metals/material,!as!well!as!products!produced!by!other!companies!(e.g.!batteries,!motherboard),!which!are!inside!the!product!(hint:!you!can!work!backwards!as!in!'I!know!there!is!copper!here,!where!does!most!of!the!copper!come!from?).!!!!!4. Imagine!you!need!to!get!rid!of!your!product!(new!2012!models!are!coming!out)!and!would!like!to!recycle!it!here!in!Boulder.!Spend!some!time!online!to!find!out!if!and!how!this!is!possible!(where!do!you!need!to!go?!Will!it!cost?!How!long!did!it!take!you!to!find!this!out)?!!!Part%II:%Reflect%on%the%political%economy%of%electronics%and%e;waste%!1.! What!was!surprising!to!you!about!this!exercise?!Disturbing?!!!!!!!!!2.! What!are!the!tendencies!of!a!capitalist!system!that!make!e5waste!necessary?!(hint:!why!did!you!need!to!buy!a!new!product?!Why!would! your!waste!get!shipped!abroad?)!!!!!!!!!3.!
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