Take climate action to reduce, reuse and recycle smartphones

As smartphones grow prominence in our everyday lives, the average consumer will plan to upgrade their phone to the latest model every two year at an average price anywhere  between $200 to $1800. 

But did you know, the phone you choose to buy can have an environmental impact?

• Carbon footprint: cellphones are made from precious metals, copper, and plastics--all of which require energy. With the average smartphone requiring 55 Kg of CO2e to mine and manufacture, a brand new cellphone will have a larger carbon footprint. 
• E-waste: Rapid phone technology change and planned obsolescence have contributed to the increasing amount of electronic waste around the globe.  Every year, millions of old cell phones are tossed and added to our nation’s landfill. They seep harmful chemicals into the soil, water and air.  

Take climate action to reduce, reuse and recycle used phones.

Buying used or pre-owned like the iPhone 8 on genmobile.com or certified refurbished phones through cellphone manufacturers like Apple.com and Samsung is the better option for the planet. And here’s why..

• you are choosing to lengthen phone lifetimes and
• you are helping to reduce the overall environmental impact of smartphones - including significant energy conservation, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution caused by manufacturing virgin materials.  

At the end of their life, you can also choose to recycle your used phone, keeping useable and valuable materials out of landfills and incinerators. In fact, if every 100 million cell phones ready for end of life management in the U.S. are recycled, we could save enough energy to power more than 194,000 U.S. households with electricity for one year.

So, the next time you decide to upgrade to a new smartphone, you may want to consider buying a used or refurbished smartphone, saving money and our planet.