You Deserve the Right to Repair Your Stuff | Gay Gordan-Byrne | TED

翻译人员: Amanda Cai 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

I am a repair geek.

我是个维修狂。

I grew up fixing things with my dad; it was what we did.

我从小就和爸爸一起修东西， 这也是我们过去的生活。

We fixed our TV, we fixed our refrigerator,

我们修过电视、冰箱，

we fixed stuff that didn't need fixing.

也修过不需要修理的东西。

We fixed our Volkswagen Beetle.

我们还修过我们的 大众甲壳虫汽车。

In our home,

在家里，

if something broke, we took it as an opportunity to have fun.

如果有东西坏了， 我们就会以此为乐。

We loved the idea and the challenge of bringing things back to life.

我们喜欢这种可以 让物品焕然一新的感觉，

也享受这个过程中的挑战。

And I still love that feeling,

我现在依然喜欢这种感觉，

which to me is just thrilling.

这是一种激动人心的感觉。

I did it recently.

最近我又修东西了。

My laptop was overheating,

我的手提电脑过热，

I thought it might be the fan,

我猜测是散热风扇的问题，

I ordered a fan,

所以我买了个风扇，

I put the fan in, I turned it on,

我把它装进电脑里，打开，

and the fan went "whir"

然后风扇发出了“呼呼”的响声，

like, “Yes! That really worked.”

我当下欢呼雀跃： “太好了！这真能行。”

It was a great feeling.

这种感觉非常棒。

Now I know this kind of repair probably sounds very old-fashioned,

我知道这种修理方式 可能有点老土，

and I probably look a little old-fashioned,

可能我这个人 看起来也有点老土，

but it's much more than saving money.

但这不仅仅是为了省钱，

It's how we keep the things that we like in use.

这更是我们留住心爱之物的方式。

It helps us keep things out of the trash.

这会让我们不会随意丢弃东西。

It helps bring jobs into our communities,

有助于为我们的 社区带来工作机会，

and it can help solve the digital divide.

还有助于解决数字鸿沟。

Now, since 2013, I've been the executive director

自 2013 年以来， 我在数字维修权联盟

of the Digital Right to Repair Coalition,

（DRTR Coalition）中， 担任执行董事一职，

otherwise known as repair.org.

这一联盟也称为维修组织 （repair.org）。

Our members do all the Rs:

我们所有人一直坚持 “四重”原则：

We repair, we reuse, we resell and we recycle.

重修、重用、重卖、重收。

And in doing this work, I've come to realize

从事这项工作多年，我明白了

that repair is right now central

修复对于我们的

可持续发展目标而言是很重要的。

to all of our sustainability goals.

If we can fix our stuff a little more frequently, keep it in use,

如果我们能把我们的东西 修得勤一点，用得久一点，

we're keeping it out of the front of the waste stream at the front end.

如果我们能在前面几个环节 减少废弃物。

So we'll have less to process at the back end.

那么后面的环节 就能减少处理流程。

If we are going to have any control over our e-waste problem,

如果我们想要控制 电子垃圾问题的恶化，

we have to talk about repair.

那我们就必须重视修复的作用。

Let me give you a sense of scale.

我来说一些数据。

Back in 2013,

2013 年，

the EPA estimated that the average US household

美国环保局（EPA）估计 平均每个美国家庭

already owned 28 digitally-driven gizmos and gadgets.

已经拥有 28 个 数字驱动的物品。

It was everything from garage-door openers

这些东西包括车库遥控器、

and hot tub controls to smart toasters.

浴缸遥控器以及智能面包机。

If we just do a little math and multiply

如果我们来简单地做一些乘法：

28 times are roughly 123 million households,

美国约有 1.23 亿个家庭， 每个家庭约产生 28 件电子垃圾，

we come up with a pretty staggering

我们可以得到一个 非常惊人的数字：

three and a half billion pieces of e-waste

350 亿件

that don't belong in our landfills,

无法被垃圾填埋场处理的电子废物，

and they are costly

处理这些电子垃圾的成本很高，

and difficult to put back as raw materials

而且它们很难作为原材料再回收，

if those processes even exist.

这些回收工艺根本不存在。

When we look a little more closely at what's even possible with recycling,

我们可以想想循环利用的可能性，

I think we've been ignoring some really ugly truths.

但我们一直忽视着一些残酷的真相。

By the time a laptop or a refrigerator

只要我们拥有笔记本或者冰箱，

or even an electric toothbrush gets in our hands,

甚至只是一支电动牙刷，

almost all of the environmental damage has already been done.

就已经造成了严重的环境破坏。

All the costs of mining and refining and smelting and transportation.

采矿冶炼和交通运输的成本。

And we don't see these costs when we go to the store,

但是我们去购物的时候， 并不能直观感受到这些成本，

and we don't see the human costs of terrible labor conditions

我们也同样无法得知恶劣的劳动环境 所造成的人力成本，

and exposure to toxic materials.

还有接触毒物质的风险。

So even if we can't agree on how to calculate these costs,

所以，即便我们无法 精确计算成本，

I think we can agree that fixing more and throwing away less just makes sense.

我认为我们至少应该们赞成 “少丢弃，多修理”的说法。

There's a lot of other advantages of repairing things

修理物品

不仅仅只有显而易见的好处。

other than just the obvious.

Repair is what lets us keep our older devices in use,

修理不仅可以让旧设备继续工作，

and it allows a secondary market for the products that we want to resell.

还可以把我们想转售的产品 放进二手市场进行售卖。

And secondary markets are why used equipment is so affordable

而二手市场上产品价格之所以偏低，

because the used seller has to compete with new.

是因为二手产品卖家需要 与新产品进行竞争。

So if a new gadget is 1,000 dollars,

所以如果一件全新产品 售价 1000 美元，

we expect a pretty big discount to buy that same item used.

那么同同款二手产品 则会有更大的折扣。

Let's start with 50 percent.

也许一开始就是半价。

So now we have an affordability capability

现在我们有了购买能力，

that is central to crossing the digital divide.

这是跨越数字鸿沟的关键。

We had five million students that went to virtual school this past year

过去一年，美国约有 五百万学生需要上网课，

that didn't have enabling technology.

却没有可用的科技产品。

And that's because parents and school districts couldn't buy new.

这也是因为父母 和学区没能买到新的。

We still have a lot of chip shortages,

我们依旧面临着芯片短缺的问题，

and these are going to be with us for a while.

这个问题将会持续一段时间。

And I think we have to think very seriously about doing more repair,

此外我认为，我们应该认真考虑 做更多的维修工作，

not just to make things last longer

不仅仅是为了让东西用得更久，

but also to be more resilient as an economy.

还是让一个经济体更加有韧性。

Repair is also a point of entry for a lot of our engineers and innovators.

对于我们的工程师和创新者而言， 修复更是一个切入点。

I heard Steve Wozniak speak very recently --

前不久我听了史蒂夫·沃兹尼亚克 （Steve Wozniak）的讲话，

Apple Steve Wozniak --

他是苹果公司的创始人之一。

He spoke very recently about his growth and development

他讲了他的成长经历，

at a time when he was repairing things as a kid.

讲了他小时候修东西，

And it was central to his development as an engineer.

表示这段经历对他将来选择成为 一个工程师来说很重要。

He grew up pretty much the same time I did,

他的成长经历和我的很像，

where repairs were very ordinary.

都是在修理中度过。

Consumers were empowered to take their vacuum tubes to the local store,

顾客可以带着他们的 电子管到当地专卖店，

plug them in and see if they work

插上电源，检查是否有用，

and then buy a replacement on the spot.

然后当场购买更换零件。

And there were lots of options for repair within the community

社区里有很多的 维修服务可供选择，

to help with the more difficult challenges.

帮助人们解决各种问题。

I think you've probably noticed

我觉得你们已经注意到

that these mom and pop businesses disappeared

这些夫妻店已经消失了，

or all but disappeared in our communities.

或者在社区里几乎快消失了。

And it’s not because we don’t want to fix our stuff,

这不是因为我们不想修东西，

it's because they were not allowed to buy the essential repair materials

而是这些店不允许 购买基础维修材料，

that enabled them to stay in business.

而这些材料又是他们生存的依靠。

So if we can back that back

如果我们回到过去，

and make it possible for our local repair shops

允许当地的维修店

to buy parts and tools,

购买零件和维修工具，

then those businesses will come back

这些店依旧可以生存，

and they will bring back with them jobs that feed families.

也可以提供赚钱养家糊口的岗位。

And our nerdy kids will be able to open things up,

而我们的书呆子孩子可以拆东西，

figure out how they work

弄清楚这些东西的工作原理，

and become the engineers and innovators of our future.

将来会成为工程师或者创新者。

Repair jobs, which I mentioned,

我所提到的修复者的工作，

they’re great jobs,

是一项伟大的工作，

and they don't require an advanced degree.

它们并不要求高等学历。

I'll give you an example.

我来举个例子。

There's a charity in Minnesota called Tech Dump,

在明尼苏达州有一个名叫 科技回收（Tech Dump）的慈善机构，

and they take in donated electronics,

这个组织接受捐赠的电子产品，

and then they hire adults that are hard to employ,

同时雇佣那些很难找到工作的人，

many of whom coming out of the criminal justice system.

很多都是有前科的人。

They train them to make repairs.

组织会为雇员提供修复培训。

They then take the repaired goods,

然后他们会把修好的东西拿走，

sell them and use the proceeds to fund more training.

卖掉，之后用赚的钱 再去组织更多的培训。

They’re keeping equipment out of the waste stream;

该组织一直在努力让东西 可以继续使用，避免成为垃圾；

they’re bringing good-quality equipment to their community in a used format;

还把维修好的东西以“旧载体， 优质量”的形式带到社区；

and they are bringing people out of poverty and into the workforce.

更让人们脱离贫困成为劳动力。

What's really got me irritated

但是有一点让我很生气，

(Laughs)

（笑声）

is that at this point,

那就是，

the vast majority of products on the market today

如今市场上有绝大部分产品，

cannot be repaired by any party

如果不完全依赖制造商，

without being totally dependent on the manufacturer.

是不能被任何一方修复的，

And the day the manufacturer decides they don't want you to fix it,

而等到过了制造商 规定的保修期后，

it's over.

一切都结束了。

This is a completely artificial problem.

这完全是人为因素。

Manufacturers used to provide comprehensive documentation

过去制造商会提供所有书面材料，

and schematics and shipped it with every product.

并把这些材料随产品一起发货。

It was expected that you could fix your stuff.

这是希望你自己解决修理问题。

Then once the internet allowed this documentation to be hosted online,

后来互联网可以在线储存文件了，

manufacturers stopped printing,

制造商就停止了纸质稿的寄送，

which made sense because printing was expensive.

这也可以理解， 毕竟打印费还是比较贵的。

And then somewhere along the line, somebody said,

然后某天，有个人说，

"Ah, we need to know who's using our website."

“唉呀，我们要知道 我们网站都有谁在用。”

So they demanded a login.

所以之后网站要求登录。

And then another bright light said,

之后又有人提了个点子说，

"Oh, we can charge."

“噢，我们可以要求收费。”

So they put up a paywall.

于是他们又设置了付费门槛。

And then a third bright light said,

再然后有人提了第三个点子：

"We can't let anybody have this information at all.

“我们不能让其他人 掌握这些信息，

They might compete with us."

要不然他们会和我们抢生意的。”

And that's where we are today.

最后就变成了我们今天这样。

We can't get what we need to fix our stuff.

我们没办法得到可以 修理我们物品的东西。

Now, I can tell you because I've had a front-row seat,

而现在，我走在行业前沿 所以可以告诉你们，

this trend towards a throwaway economy is reversing all over the world.

这种一次性的经济趋势 正在世界范围内发生逆转。

And it's really fun to be able to tell you about it.

我很高兴能告诉你们这些。

Back in 2014,

2014 年，

we put forward our very first digital “Right to Repair” bill,

我们提出了首个 数字“维修权”议案，

and that became the template for dozens of other bills.

而这也成为了 其他很多议案的模板。

And this year, we've had 27 states take up the same legislation.

并且今年，已经有 27 个州有了相同的立法，

These bills are starting to pass.

通过了这些议案。

There's been a lot of help from the Federal Trade Commission

这多亏了美国贸易委员会

and also the Biden administration,

和拜登政府的帮助支持。

in saying we really, as a country,

说真的，一个国家，

need to be able to fix our stuff, and we need competition for repair.

不仅需要能够修复物品， 还需要能以修复来竞争。

It's not just us.

不仅仅是美国，

Canada and Australia have got similar processes underway.

加拿大和澳大利亚 也正在推进相似的进程。

The European Union has put forward a set of regulations that just took effect

欧盟也有一套法规刚开始实施：

that are limiting the use of adhesives in the construction of products

在产品制造中限制粘合剂的使用。

because if you can't get into the thing,

因为如果你不能 深入了解一件物品，

you can't fix the thing.

那你就不能修复它。

France has yet another idea.

法国采取了另一种方式。

They are requiring manufacturers to rate themselves on their repairability,

法国要求制造商在生产过程中 对产品的可修理性进行评估打分，

and then they are posting those scores for consumers to consider pre-purchase.

然后把这些分数附在产品上， 以供消费者购买时参考。

There are groups forming up all over the world

世界各地都有组织，

that help people repair stuff

来帮助人们修理东西。

even without government or regulatory change.

即使没有政府监管 或者监管变更。

You may have seen Repair Cafés advertised in your community.

你们可能看到了维修咖 （Repair Café）在社区里的广告。

That first Repair Café started in 2009 in Denmark.

丹麦在 2009 年建成了 世界上的第一个维修咖。

There are now over 2,000 official chapters.

现今有超过 2000 家官方分店。

There are web sites, YouTube

有网站，有推特账号，

and a company called ifixit.com

有一家叫做 ifixit.com的公司，

that hosts tens of thousands of repair tutorials

提供数万份的修复教程

to help people learn how to fix their stuff.

来帮助人们学习如何修理东西。

Last year,

去年，

they recorded 116 million unique users on their website,

该公司网站约有 1.16 亿的 独立用户记录，

so I think it's pretty clear people do want to fix their stuff.

所以我们可以很清楚地看到， 人们想要修好自己的东西。

So I'm very encouraged by the fact that our throwaway economy,

而且我很高兴的是 我们的一次性经济趋势，

the trend is reversing.

正在逆转。

And we are going to be able to fix our stuff.

我们能够修理我们的东西，

We're going to be able to use the things we want

我们能够以我们想要的方式

in the way that we want them.

使用我们想要的东西。

We will be able to cross the digital divide,

我们能够跨越数字鸿沟，

and we will have more jobs,

我们能够创造更多工作机会，

and we will all get that great “Yes! I fixed it!” feeling.

我们能够体会 “太棒了！我修好了！”的感觉。

So the next time something around you breaks,

所以下次你们有东西坏了时，

don't take "broken" for an answer.

不要默认它报废了。

Go fix something.

去修修看吧。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you.

感谢聆听。