E-LIFE film now available to a wider audience

In 2017, we hosted the Northern premiere of E-LIFE, an environmental documentary directed by Ed Scott-Clarke . We are proud to have provided the seed grant for this project and to showcase this powerful documentary.

E-LIFE uncovers the growing global problem of electronic waste and delves into the muddled and poorly regulated industry of E-waste exportation. The film uncovers the shocking phenomenon of the shipment of hazardous waste from Europe and the US to developing countries. The crew visited the Agbogbloshie scrapyard in Ghana and captured how the local people are often unprepared yet left to deal with tonnes of hazardous waste, risking fatal illnesses and shocking levels of soil contamination.

The film asks the audience to think about how the newest technology is designed for style but not sustainability. The many component metals are not easily separated and therefore cannot be recycled in a straightforward way. Ed meets the manufacturers of new products on the market (for example Fair Phone – available from The Phone Co-op) that can be fixed and recycled at the end of their useful life rather than accumulating in dumps around the world. Producing gadgets without the circular economy in mind leads to disastrous human and environmental consequences. E-LIFE encourages us to be more thoughtful about our choices and consider the circular economy rather than the traditional "take, make, dispose" economic model.

E-LIFE is now available to watch on Amazon (free to Prime members) and Vimeo – and will be on other platforms such as ROKU and Real Stories in due course: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B088P7JGJG/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/elife