Dare To Repair: How We Broke the Future - Episode 1

We love our electronic gadgets, gizmos and appliances. But when
it comes to repairing and caring for them, UK citizens are second
only to Norway when it comes to producing electronic waste. We
have a culture of buying single-use, throwaway,
cheaper-the-better, irreparable electronic goods. But the Age of
Consumerism is over. If the kettles, toasters, phones and fridges
we buy aren’t made to be repairable, and aren’t repaired, we are
going to run out of things to buy, stuff to make them from and
money to buy them with. Dare to Repair explores how we got to
this unsustainable state, explores the fightback, whether it’s
through global legislation or individual groups, and empowers
listeners to prolong the life of their electronics and mechanical
goods by fixing them.


Episode 1- How We Broke the Future


Materials scientist Professor Mark Miodownik of UCL looks back to
the start of the electronics revolution to find out why our
electronic gadgets and household goods are less durable and
harder to repair now. As he attempts to fix his digital clock
radio, he reveals that the drive for cheaper stuff and advances
in design and manufacturing have left us with a culture of
throwaway technology and mountains of electronic waste.


Presented by Mark Miodownik and produced by Fiona Roberts. First
broadcast on Tuesday 27 April 2021.