#25

Keep your current phone

Smartphones have become more and more disposable thanks to yearly release cycles and upgrade pricing models, all of which has a high environmental cost.

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Brewing instructions:

  • Step 1

    Hold off on the upgrade

    According to a study from the University of Surrey, the manufacturing stage of a typical mobile phone is the most costly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Simply doing nothing when it comes to upgrading and continuing to use your current phone is a great way to reduce this environmental impact.

    If your phone has cosmetic or battery issues, look at options to repair instead of replacing the whole phone.

  • Step 2

    Choose a second hand phone, or an ethical one

    Buying a second hand or nearly new phone is not only easier on the environment, it can help save you some cash too.

    As an alternative, try a Fairphone - this phone uses modular components which means you can buy new components and repair your phone yourself! They also only source conflict-free minerals for the phone too.

  • Step 3

    Recycle your old phone

    If your phone really is at the end of its life, and it can't be repaired any more then make sure you recycle it.

    Your old phone contains a whole host of components and materials that can be reused to make new phones. What's more a lot of phone suppliers now offer money back or discounts if you send your old phone back to them.

Why is this important?

Manufacturing smartphones and other tech devices impacts the planet in a number of ways, perhaps most visibly in places like Baotou, inner Mongolia. This is where the mining of minerals used in these devices is carried out, transforming the city and creating a giant toxic lake filled with the waste byproducts.

That's just one example of environmental harm our phones cause, add to this the airmiles, shipping miles, excess packaging, and other manufacturing emissions and the phone in your pocket becomes more and more environmentally unfriendly - the very least we can do is try and stem the constant need for new.

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