Mobile phones are a model for a sustainable circular economy

Mobile phones are a model for a sustainable circular economy

Did you know that your mobile phone contains precious metals such as gold and platinum? These small devices that we carry daily are repositories of rare and valuable elements. They are extracted from the ground with great effort and high environmental cost, and they contain minerals that are used in the manufacture of the phone’s delicate components such as electronic circuits and batteries.

This fact prompts us to think about the fate of these resources after the end of the phone’s life, and how they can be turned into a new opportunity instead of becomingelectronic wastewasted. Hence, Earth Guards sheds light on this problem and presents its solution through the concept of the circular economy, which redraws the life cycle of the mobile phone, so that it does not end with the first malfunction or technical update, but rather begins a new journey through repair, renewal, or reuse. So keep reading.

Old phones or wealth?

At the 2025 Mobile World Congress – the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which was held last March in Barcelona – there was an intense focus on the future of the mobile phone industry from a completely new angle. These are: sustainability and longevity of the device. This idea was not just a slogan at the conference, but rather was the main focus of many discussions and presentations, where leading companies spoke and launched technical initiatives about the necessity of shifting from the “cycle of production, consumption and disposal” to a new, more sustainable model.

Environmentally, the shift towards this sustainable model is an urgent necessity. In 2024, the process of manufacturing 1.2 billion new phones resulted in the emission of more than 60 million tons ofcarbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the annual carbon output of countries such as Morocco or Romania. Since manufacturing constitutes between 70% and 90% of the carbon footprint of a phone’s life cycle, extending the life of the device through repair and refurbishment reduces these emissions by between 80% and 90%.

Perhaps what makes this need more urgent is the huge amount of resources consumed by manufacturing each new phone. It is estimated that about 10 billion phones are not being used around the world, and they contain approximately 100,000 tons of copper, 7 million ounces of gold, and 1 million ounces of palladium, with a total value estimated at about 20 billion US dollars, according to current market prices.

This leads us to wonder: If these phones contain so much precious resources? So why not reuse or recycle? Here appears the most important turning point in the relationship between the consumer and technology. Buying a phone is no longer a purely consumer process, but rather an environmental and economic choice.

Consumers’ shift toward sustainability

With the development of environmental awareness among consumers, purchasing behavior has clearly changed. Studies have shown that the average lifespan of a phone in a user’s hand rose to 3.5 years in 2015. An important report by the International Mobile Networks Association (GSMA) revealed that 70% of people in the world are willing to pay an additional amount if the phone is environmentally friendly; This means that sustainability has become part of the way consumers think, and is no longer a luxury.

This tendency towards more conscious decisions does not only appear in the duration of phone use, but also in the increasing demand for used and refurbished phones as well. In 2022, sales of used and refurbished phones increased by more than 10%, then increased by another 6% in 2023.

Meanwhile, new phone sales fell by 15%; Which shows a shift in consumer choices. According to a study titled “Rethinking Mobile Phones: The Feasibility of a Circular Economy”; 85% of people said that preserving the environment is one of the most important reasons why they buy a particular phone, even more than design or artificial intelligence features.

The phone industry supports sustainability

As this awareness grew among users, phone manufacturers did not stand idly by, but rather began to react to this trend by adopting new practices. 71% of phone operators now offer device repair services, giving users the opportunity to repair their devices instead of throwing them away.

84% of these companies also offer exchange or buy-back programs, allowing users to exchange their old phones or recover their value. More than 90% of operators are involved in refurbishing phones and putting them back on the market at a reasonable price. Hence, these practices are not only environmentally beneficial, but are also considered new investment opportunities. The size of the circular phone market is expected to exceed $150 billion by 2027.

Although individuals and companies can make an effective impact in reducing pollution by extending the life of phones and improving consumption behavior, the decisive role remains in the hands of governments and policy makers. Modern legislation has become a cornerstone in supporting the transition towards a circular economy in the field of mobile phones.

Countries such as the European Union and the United States have begun to take actual steps, by imposing laws requiring companies to provide spare parts and repair information for long periods of up to seven years. These are policies that push companies to develop products that last longer and are compatible with sustainability requirements.

There is no doubt that adopting circular models faces challenges, such as high maintenance costs and the absence of unified standards. Which requires broad cooperation between all parties, and henceEarth Guards calls for supporting this trend by spreading awareness, enhancing dialogue between stakeholders, and calling for partnerships that accelerate the shift towards more sustainable production.