Dirty tricks at the London Design Festival18 September 2013
Friends of the Earth's dirty watercoolers make it clear that we can't turn a blind eye to the human and environmental impacts of our products.
There's a buzz around the watercoolers at London Design Festival this week. But don't let the dirty water put you off.
At six of the festival's venues, Friends of the Earth has dropped coolers containing brown water alongside clean drinkable water.
The environment charity is raising awareness about water pollution in Indonesia caused by the production of smartphones.
Branding agency Landor and London Design Festival are the brains behind the installations. We gave them a brief to encourage conversation about manufacturer responsibility to make products in better ways. It's all part of our Make It Better campaign.
All the major mobile brands use tin from Indonesia's Bangka island, where mining is contaminating water and destroying tropical forests and coral reefs.
Child labour and fatal accidents are common in the unregulated mining sector.
We want companies to understand their impact on people and our natural world throughout the supply chain, then use this to design more efficient products
Andrew Pendleton, Friends of the Earth's Head of Campaigns
Following pressure from Friends of the Earth supporters - Apple, Samsung, Nokia, Sony, Blackberry, Motorola, and LG Electronics have committed to take action to improve the problems their products have caused.
There are many ways that we could improve phone design and business, including:
- Energy-saving batteries that charge in seconds.
- Longer contracts removing the need for unnecessary upgrades.
- Intelligently-designed devices easy to take apart and repair.
Under proposed new EU laws, companies would be responsible for their full environmental impact. However, loopholes in the legislation could allow problems to continue.
Help us put a stop to dirty secrets
Friends of the Earth's Make It Better campaign is calling for your support. Please email Business Minister Jo Swinson to demand that these loopholes disappear.
The London Design Festival is taking place until 22 September 2013. You can have your own 'watercoolers moment' in these Festival venues:
- Tent London (Truman Brewery, Brick Lane)
- 100% Design (Earl's Court Exhibition Centre)
- Decorex (Kensington Palace)
- Global Design Forum (Southbank centre)
- Fritz Hansen furniture showroom (13-14 Margaret Street, W1W 8RN)
- Designersblock exhibition (Southbank centre)
© Friends of the Earth
