“Hide this new phone so i dont see it,” Molière might have said, had he been born in the 21st century.
According to researchers, manufacturing a new smartphone would consume as much energy as using it for an entire decade (source). In just a few years, they have indeed become the most greenhouse gas-generating consumer electronic device.
With more than half of the world’s population using a phone on a daily basis, environmental disaster is looming large. Fortunately, It does not have to be! Let’s decipher the impact of a new phone compared to a refurbished one.
New vs. refurbished:
Manufacturing: 1-0 for refurbished phones
The manufacturing of a phone is responsible for about 80% of its environmental debt. Lead, graphite, magnesium, copper, gold, lithium, silicon,… a smartphone contains 16 of the 17 metals and that are rare on our planet. On average, 44 kg of rock needs to be extracted to give the 130 grams of minerals and rare metals that are required in your smartphone. These raw materials must then be processed, in turn producing a series of environmental disasters. For example, gold processing releases cyanide and mercury, which is then flushed into rivers.
In addition
the majority of phones are thrown away before they even break down. Giving them a second life is therefore a way to avoid manufacturing that is costly for the wallet as well as for the environment. Indeed, many smartphones returned to the factory require only minor repairs (or even… nothing at all), or the replacement of some parts, usually the screen or the battery. On average, the impact of a refurbished phone is therefore three times less than the production of a new device.
Transportation: 2-0 for refurbished phones
Once the raw materials have been extracted and processed in the four corners of the world, the components of a new phone are usually assembled in Southeast Asia, to be distributed around the world. As a true globetrotter, your smartphone has already traveled around the world several times before arriving at your home.
Conversely, refurbishing companies try to source as much as possible from within the country or Europe – even if low stock availability sometimes forces them to go outside the continent – and then refurbish the devices in local factories before re-distributing them within the country. Only spare parts are imported from Asia, with a lesser impact than for a new phone.
Recycling: 3-0 for refurbished devices
Beyond manufacturing, the disposal of a device at the end of its life also poses problems. On average, a smartphone is made up of 40% plastics, often mixed with other chemicals that make it difficult to recycle. A large proportion of your phone’s parts therefore end up in a landfill, where they continue to contaminate water and soil.
The ADEME indicates that the potential working life of a phone is about ten years, and three years for the battery. Buying a refurbished product, with a new battery, can save a few (precious) years of life to a device before sending it to recycling.
The result? Refurbished phones win by a landslide. Choosing a second-hand phone means limiting its environmental footprint during production, but also during destruction. Reconditioned phones also have the advantage of being checked, of working with all operators, but above all of being more accessible: a reconditioned phone is up to 70% cheaper than a new smartphone.
World Tour of the impact of a new phone
Imagined and designed in the United States, made of materials from all over the world, assembled in China, then too often thrown away in wild dumps in Africa… from its manufacture to its end of life, a smartphone travels around the world four times. Here is an overview of its stops.
Welcome… to Chile. The Salar d’Atacama in Chile holds about 45% of the world’s copper reserves, which are needed to manufacture the lithium found in batteries. To obtain one ton of lithium, two million liters of water must be drawn from the water table and evaporated. This work dries up an already water-poor region, damages biodiversity and is responsible for the decline of the local pink flamingo population.
Welcome… to the Democratic Republic of Congo. This country is the world’s largest producer of coltan, which is essential for the proper functioning of electronic components. The majority of the traffic of this precious mineral is controlled, for years, by armed groups to finance the civil war. Groups that also make the local populations work in appalling conditions, denounced by several NGOs.
Welcome… to the Amazon. In the largest forest in the world, gold mining is one of the main causes of deforestation. Because the specificity of the mines is that they are located in the middle of the forests, and thus reach the heart of the ecosystems. And that’s not all, gold mining also generates mercury and cyanide waste that contaminates the water. Ouch.
Welcome… to Ghana. In this country, the Agbogbloshie dump is one of the world’s largest electronic waste dumps. Many countries dispose of their toxic waste in these open areas, where workers put their lives at risk as they seek to recover and burn rare metals.
It sounds insane right?
Despite a growing awareness of the environmental impact of human activities, the manufacture and recycling of a smartphone is an issue that is still not taken seriously enough. Even though we know that the amount of CO2 emissions and the need for rare metals increases with each new model. Fortunately, the world of refurbishing offers a viable alternative, allowing you to continue to benefit from the latest technological advances while limiting your impact on the planet and ecosystems.
Driving your car compared to making a new iPhone
By far the company that offers the most information on carbon dioxide emissions for new production is Apple. The company has been publishing environmental reports for its smartphones for ten years. The reports show, among other things, how larger smartphones, more advanced technology, and more demanding material choices have led to a significant increase in carbon emissions.
Storage is of great importance
One factor that creates even greater emissions, and which is not represented in the chart above, is increased storage space. Apple sells models with between 64 and 512 GB of storage and publishes emissions data for all of them.
This shows a frightening difference between the production requirements for different storage capacities. If we count production emissions alone, an iPhone 11 Pro with 512GB of storage emits 65% more carbon dioxide than a 64GB version. So even though the two models have exactly the same screen, camera and materials, a 512GB model account’s for far more emissions than a 64GB model!
How much is for example 80 kg of carbon dioxide
which happens to be the requirement for the production of an iPhone 11 Pro. That’s equivalent to the emissions of a petrol car driving over 600 kilometers, That’s like driving passed half of Sweden!
Carbon dioxide emissions are, as I said, just one of several major environmental problems caused by the production of new electronics. The easiest way to avoid these emissions and environmental damage is to buy a new mobile phone as rarely as possible. Moreover, as we have now learned, it can help to be more conservative with the data stored and buy a mobile with less storage space.
Thank you for taking the time to read this Guestpost.
My Name is Pontus Markgren and i am country manager for CertiDeal Sweden.
We at Certideal sell Refurbished phones mostly in Europe.
We are constantly looking to improve feel free to contact us at any time.