As we learned at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress, 80% of the climate impact of a mobile device occurs before we take it out of its box.
So we start this article by highlighting what is essential: the importance of mobile manufacturers and operators working to ensure that smartphones are designed to last, use reused and recycled materials so as not to depend on new raw materials, are easy and economical to repair, and At the end of a long useful life, they are 100% recycled using renewable and responsible energy.
That said, what solutions and alternatives exist today so that as consumers we can participate in this necessary change? Here we bring you 6 examples:
1. Redesign
As we have indicated, the design and production phase is the most important and in this sense, if there is a company that has stood out from the rest for years, it is Fairphone.
This is the pioneering company in designing a mobile phone that is as fair and sustainable as possible, taking into account materials, manufacturing process and after-sales. They are an example of commitment, coherence and transparency for the entire industry.
Its latest model, the Fairphone 4, costs less than 600 euros, competing in price with high-end models from other well-known brands. As we will see below, if price can be a barrier, we always have the option of opting for a non-new model.
We encourage you to visit their website to learn more about their path and content, among them, a documentary called “Behind the Screens”, where they explain everything that goes into making a mobile phone, from “the cradle to the grave”, that is, from when the necessary materials are obtained until it becomes waste. We leave you with the trailer in English:
2. Buy second-hand or refurbished
Although they make you believe it, you don’t need the latest model, but rather a cell phone that works well for you. Retrofitted technology saves you money and waste. Websites such as Backmarket lead this change by providing guarantees of the good condition of the devices.
Another option available to us is to buy second-hand in physical stores or on platforms like Wallapop. In these cases we will surely obtain more competitive prices but in the case of buying and selling between individuals, we have to make sure that they sell us a mobile that is really in the condition that the seller assures and we recognize that here there are fewer guarantees and that it is necessary to verify it. thoroughly or trust whoever is selling it to us.
Manufacturers strive to continually release improved models with new functionalities that surpass the previous ones and those of the competition and generate the need to renew our device from time to time.
Much more responsible would be if new features and improvements could be downloaded as an update without having to change the entire device each time. For physical components, the best thing would be to be able to incorporate them with small and easy part changes without having to throw everything away.
3. Repair or auto-repair
Fixing a broken screen or changing the battery should be easy and cost more than buying a new phone. Communities like iFixit work to make this possible and make it easier for us to exercise the ‘right to repair’. Because, did you know that as a consumer you have the right to repair?
At the same time, there are many small mobile phone businesses with repair services that provide work and life to the residents of your neighborhood, so we always encourage you to go to your nearest store and ask how much it costs to repair that broken screen. If it costs you 100 euros, even if it seems expensive, it is still much more expensive than buying a new phone.
Here we also highlight another advantage: independence. Telephone operating companies usually come up with juicy offers of new financed mobile phones in exchange for long-term contracts that ensure that you stay with them for years to keep us as customers for long periods of time. You decide if they follow the game or not.
4. Reuse
Sometimes we forget that in just a few years, great technological advances have managed to concentrate in very little space and for a relatively low price a lot of tools that we previously used separately.
Your cell phone is a small computer, if one of its functions breaks, don’t throw it away! You can still use it in a thousand ways:
- calculator
- Photo camera
- alarm
- music player
- flashlight
- … and much more
5. Donate for resale or recycling
There are examples such as Movilbak, a company that buys your mobile phone to resell or recycle it while collaborating with NGOs such as the Jane Goodall Institute, Intermón Oxfam, Amnesty International or Mona Foundation through donations.
Operator stores, cell phone sales and repair stores may also have collection points. Another option may be to go to the nearest clean point.
So if you think that your phone can no longer be repaired or reused in any way, make sure it ends up in a place where it can be recovered and used without becoming waste.
6. Standardize components and accessories
We need laws that force us to unify the same parts, components, chargers, cases and accessories for all models and brands.
The EU is already legislating in this sense with initiatives related to the aforementioned right to repair, measures on eco-design, or the fight against planned obsolescence among others, but these efforts have to be global to protect the rights of consumers throughout the world.
We will not deny the obvious: it is difficult to imagine ourselves without a mobile phone today. It has become an essential tool for millions of people. So all the more reason to point out the long road ahead for this gigantic sector to reduce its environmental impact.
Did you find it useful? Dare to try some of these alternatives and spread them to reduce waste in the mobile phone sector.
