What Almost Everybody With An Old Phone Can Do To Boost The Circular Economy

Nowadays, there are more than 3.5 billion smartphone users worldwide. That is almost half of the earth’s population. And in saturated markets, such as in Europe or the US, each user roughly owns 1.5 smartphones¹. That is half a phone more, than you typically need. The implications of this abundance on the environment and consumption of resources are devastating.

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WHAT OFTEN GOES WRONG

For many, the smartphone has become the key device and acess point of their digital lives. It is used to comunicate with family and friends, as well as to order food or the next Uber ride. Because for a lot of us, it takes such a central role in our lives, we are willing to upgrade to a new model on average every 21 months. Even if the old phone still works, many people want to have the latest version of the iPhone or respective Android device.

This often results in a lot of smartphones gathering dust in drawers. Instead of being reused or recycled in order to keep precious resources in the economic cycle. This is a problem for a number of reasons.

#1 For every phone in use, up to four remain in drawers unused¹

#2 89% of old mobile devices in the UK ultimately end up in landfill¹