The Lightbulb Conspiracy (2010) Review

The Lightbulb Conspiracy is a shockingly informative documentary. The documentary includes information given by experts worldwide and their opinions about the economic phenomenon and the consequences surrounding ‘planned obsolescence’.  Planned obsolescence is the idea that products are designed to be useful, functional and/or popular, but only for a limited time. It is something manufacturers have come up with in order to shorten the life span of products, which in turn leads to a continual consumer demand for the product. The film focuses on consumerism to global environmental issues with regards to planned obsolescence. The film recounts the history of economic conspiracy theories, such as the one about the light bulb, by using both historical and present day footage and interviews, respectively. The Lighbulb Conspiracy goes back to the 1920s, where is shows a particular secret ‘cartel’ that was set up to reduce the life span of light bulbs - one of the first cases of a product being designed to have a deliberately short life span.

The documentary includes many interviews and speakers, each with their own theory, leaving the viewer (me) wondering which view is the ‘right one’. The film is quite fast-paced, jumping from speaker to speaker, conspiracy to conspiracy; it leaves me somewhat dumbfounded as to what to believe. The Lightbulb Conspiracy includes interviews from countries such as Ghana, Germany, the USA and even Russia, where each speaker has a different view on the issue at hand, which although confuses some, i.e. myself, it provides a wide range of theories and ideas related to the topic.

One of the most interesting facts discovered after watching this film, was that planned obsolescence began over 90 years ago, in the 1920s. The film is an eye-opener into the issues that are prominent in today’s society, although not many, if not the majority of society has any idea that it is going on. It is essential that something is done about this issue, and I believe that one change that should be made is rethinking the engineering of designs, and incorporate/focus on the ‘Cradle to Cradle’ concept where materials and such of existing products are reused/recycled to make new ones.

As consumers we need to step up and voice concerns about such issues as planned obsolescence, we need to write to companies, to governments and to the media to make sure that issues like this are known throughout society. Society must make demands in order to create a sustainable planet, longer lasting products made from quality components and materials. Most importantly, us as consumers must resist our urges to purchase fads and new and exciting brands/designs – we must continue fighting for the right to have high quality products that wont become obsolete after such a short period of time- forcing us to continuously buy new versions of existing products.

Giving packaging new life

Most paper manufacturers are also recyclers. Waste paper accounts as 60% of material used to produce new paper it is the most important secondary material in German paper mills. Tissues and toilet rolls contain 60-70% waste paper.

Sauce, juice and milk cartons contain cardboard, aluminium and plastic. These materials are separated in a drum pulpier with water and the paper is removed and used to create waste paper. New computer technology can differential composite materials, which makes sorting of materials much more effective.

Tin cans are lifted from waste streams from magnets as they are magnetic. Steel scrap provides 40% of the raw material required for steel production in Germany. A tin can returned to the production can be recycled with no quality loses as many times as desired.

Aluminium cans, foil, lids, etc are separated by a magnetic field and sorted. The material is melted, cast and rolled and then used to produce aluminium sheets and the like which can be printed upon and used for packaging – any waste is returned to the production loop.

Glass is sorted by colour; each colour is recycled separately. Bottles, broken glass, and fragments are then sorted again. Fragments are melted with soda, lime and sand then shaped via blowing processes.

Plastic packing used to be incinerated or thrown into landfill. Half a million tonnes of plastic packaging is recycled per year now. Plastic is sorted into bottles, films, PET, expanded polystyrene and mixed plastics. Expanded polystyrene is ground and shaped into new polystyrene shapes. Plastic films are melted and blown/extruded into new films. Plastic bottles are recycled and the regranulates are used to make kids toys, plastic pallets, etc. Plastics can be recycled better if sorted consistently (ie. Infrared sensors). If plastic is sorted properly and prepared it can be recycled as many times as one likes (ie PET bottles).

The world’s first fully automatic sorting plant is situated in Haneva Anderton. The techniques used reduce costs of sorting and preparing plastic packaging reduces by half. Sieve drums separate waste by size, air separators blow out films and belt magnets lift cans off the belts. Wet mechanical preparation detaches paper fragments. Plastics and aluminium is then shredded in the next stage. Different plastics are soon after separated using a system of centrifuges. Polystyrene and polyethylene are melted into regranulates.

It is essential that people recycle, because so many everyday materials that are thrown out can be recycled and reused – lessening the detrimental impact waste has on the environment. With the advances in modern technology, recycling allows us to minimise waste by colossal margins, i.e. materials can be recycled and used to reproduce new products with zero waste.

How its made

The ‘How it’s made” video series informs viewers about recycling and how many materials are able to be reused and recycled to make other products, as opposed to throwing them away. The videos discuss how materials are disposed of in order to minimise waste and increase reusability. Generally, waste from existing products is sent to the manufacturer to reuse the material where they are able to combine it with new materials to produce new products.

Video 1 concentrates on the various ways corrugated cardboard can be used – focussing on its ability to be shaped and cut. (all manufacturing processes are very similar).

Video 2 and video 4 are interrelated and focus on packaging tubes and aluminium cans, respectively. The videos focus on the forming of cylinders and cylindrical products using aluminium sheeting. Alumiunium is lightweight, relatively cheap, and highly recyclable. Its flexability properties allow it to be formed easily and printed upon. The manufacturing processes are similar for the packaging tubes and cans, as they are both formed using rollers to press heat and ink the aluminium to produce the final products.

The third video about Tetrapak focuses on three main materials – plastic, foil and paperboard. The video discusses how these materials are utilised to make ‘leak-proof’ containers, which can be recycled, producing toilet paper and paper towels, etc.

Video 5 focuses on glass bottles and discusses the use of raw materials used, due to the copiousness and recyclability of them. Limestone and soda ash are said to be used in the process of recycling glass. Glass requires manufactured moulds and heat to manipulate it into desired shapes and therefore has a diverse manufacturing process as opposed to other materials.

Finally, plastic jars and bottles discussed in the video addresses the use of PET pellets and PET which has been recycled to produce shapes and products via the pellets being melted and injected into pre-formed, pressurised moulds. Only new plastic which is left over during the manufacturing process is used due to hygiene issues.

Recycling is an integral issue in the world today – it is important to know how things are made so that people know what can and cant be recycled (heightened awareness). Recycling is imperative if society wishes to preserve the environment and minimise waste in order to keep the earth clean.

CAD Drawing v2

Edited Dimensions and added parts to title block as required.

Video Reflection 1

The 11th Hour - Video Reflection

Originally Posted on March 11, 2012 (http://richtrajvideoreflections.blogspot.com.au/)

Video Reflection – The 11^th Hour

The 11^th Hour provides an excellent insight to the deterioration of the planet, along with providing a positive outlook about humanities ability to turn things around, even though there is little time to do so. The film is a outcry for someone to take charge and make a decision towards positive change. The solution to the world’s problems (in this case) is the implementation of clean energy solutions.

The 11^th Hour depicts the human race as ‘monsters’ or creatures threatening the world, highlighting the ways in which we are wreaking havoc on the planet Earth. The documentary illustrates that humans are injecting poisons into the atmosphere, causing children to choke, leading to an asthma epidemic. It also highlights the issue of chemical waste dumping into the ocean, and the fact that it kills 90 per cent of the larger fish that inhabit it. The hacking down of entire forests that are vital to the Earth’s sustainability is addresses, along with the burning of fossil fuels, which create emissions disrupting the atmospheric balance which regulates the Earth’s temperature, and allows us to live. The documentary also addresses the issue of drinking water contamination, the melting of polar ice caps and the extinction of certain species of plants and animals worldwide.

            A few other things I learnt from the documentary, is that industrial civilisation has caused irreparable damage to the Earth, political and corporate leaders have, and are continuously ignoring overwhelming scientific evidence, illustrating that the Earth is in detriment. Also, too many people are using way too many resources, and they are using them way too fast, meaning that the Earth cannot keep up, and cannot reproduce the resources needed fast enough. In turn, the rate of decline has been fast-tracked, and human extinction is inevitable.

            An interesting fact I discovered was that the Earth’s increases in temperature might become self-sustaining, due to the possibility of warming seas/oceans releasing Carbon Dioxide (C0₂) from the ocean floor.

Other industrial designers need to watch this documentary in order to realise what is going on in the world today, and what things are affecting the Earth’s health and prosperity. They need to watch this film and come up with solutions to create a “greener” Earth, before it is too late. A leader is needed to take charge and guide humanity toward a greener future and new energy solutions must be devised to do so.

Take Home Messages:

The documentary provides realistic solutions and therefore hope for humans that are motivated to take action in order to save the Earth and human existence. The only challenge is getting people motivated to take action, providing motivation to humanity is the hardest aspect of the fight to sustain the survival of our planet.

            As more people contribute to the concept of saving the planet, more and more people will be motivated to join.

            Listen to expert advice – it is these ‘experts’ jobs to study the Earth and discover what things are detrimental to its sustainability and to come up with options, theories and technologies to combat the Earth’s deterioration.