Re:Many clothing donations end up in African landfills
by chii on Saturday January 22, 2022 @02:07AM
(#30034419)
I think individual action like not buying a new car doesn't really save much in the production process (it saves only on the consumption side, like less gas being used in driving).
A car's required raw material is not going to be mined less because a few people decides not to buy a car - the iron ore and plastics are all going to have been mined at scale (thus, the marginal cost of a few more kgs of material is not a lot). The assembly/production line is going to run, costing energy and thus emissions. The car not purchased is going to sit in the lot - waiting for the next buyer.
only if a lot of people collectively drop their demand for a car would any real effect occur.
Re:Many clothing donations end up in African landfills
by colechristensen on Saturday January 22, 2022 @09:39AM
(#30036992)
You are assuming car companies always run their assembly lines at maximum capacity regardless of demand and you are wrong. Companies absolutely cut production regularly and have forever, not just in extraordinary circumstances.
An example from 2017, long before pandemic complications:
I think there are quite a lot larger sources of waste than food or clothing in our economy where things could be engineered to last a lot longer and be more repairable but aren't so they will be purchased more often. (think heavy things: appliances, vehicles, tools, etc)
The most environmentally friendly thing I do is delaying replacing my totaled 12 year old car.