The Challenge of ICT Long-Term Sustainability

Abstract

The long-term sustainability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) requires a new design paradigm based on the recyclable-by-design, repairability-by-design approach, the minimization of material and power consumption, and a zero-waste goal. Nevertheless the growing speed of electronics devices replacement is not compatible with the limits of the planet Earth. A new design, development, manufacturing, and use of ICT, based on the Slow Tech concept, is required: technologies that are socially desirable, environmentally sustainable, and ethically acceptable.