Mobile Industry Eyes 5B ‘Dormant’ Phones Sitting in Desk Drawers for Reuse or Recycling | Sustainable Brands

More than five billion used mobile phones, currently languishing in desk drawers
around the globe, are being targeted for reuse or recycling as the mobile
industry aims to develop a more circular supply chain for the smartphones most
of us rely on every day.

In a boost to the industry’s circularity ambitions, 12 leading global operators
— BT Group, Globe Telecom, GO Malta, Iliad, KDDI, NOS,
Orange, Proximus, Safaricom, Singtel, Tele2 and
Telefonica — have signed on to a new set of pace-setting
targets developed
with the GSMA, which represents the mobile industry
worldwide, in a project led by Tele2 and Orange. The new goals are designed to
accelerate and build upon the work already being undertaken by the mobile
industry as it takes steps to move away from the traditional ‘take-make-dispose’
approach to the materials used in mobile phones. Operators are committing to:

• Increase take-back of mobile phones — By 2030, the number of used mobile
  devices collected through operator take-back schemes amounts to at least 20
  percent of the number of new mobile devices distributed directly to
  customers.

• Boost recovery of mobiles and prevent devices going to landfill or
  incineration — By 2030, 100 percent of used mobile devices collected
  through operator take-back schemes will be repaired, reused or transferred
  to controlled recycling organizations.

Alongside existing commitments such as the operators’ own targets, initiatives
and national take-back schemes, this new set of goals is intended to help reduce
e-waste, extending the longevity of mobile devices by giving them a second life,
as well as recycling materials to be used in new smartphones. A refurbished
phone
can have 87 percent lower climate impact than a newly manufactured phone. The
GSMA estimates that if properly recycled, five billion mobile phones could
recover US$8 billion worth of gold, palladium, silver, copper, rare earth
elements and other critical minerals; and enough cobalt for 10 million electric
car batteries.

“The growing amount of e-waste, including mobile phones, that is generated each
year is not only an environmental challenge for our industry, but also a huge
loss of potential financial value,” says Erik
Wottrich, Head of Sustainability at
Tele2. “To promote a more circular flow of resources is a key priority for
Tele2, and I am grateful that we can contribute to that priority by leading this
GSMA project together with Orange. As the environmental and business benefits of
implementing a circular business model are clear, I hope that many more
operators around the world will join us in the ambition of zero waste and
increased take-back rate by 2030.”

The figures highlight the pool of valuable resources available for reuse or
responsible recycling — a tenet around which companies such as
Fairphone
were built and brands such as
Apple
are now adopting. Using such materials more consciously and effectively could
potentially lower the cost of manufacturing mobile phones, and tackle
affordability
barriers
that are preventing more people from getting online. At the same time, operators
recognize that further work is needed to address concerns that stop people from
returning handsets — such as data privacy, the need to save precious memories
stored on devices, and the desire to keep a spare device.

John Giusti, Chief Regulatory
Officer for the GSMA, said: “Most mobile operators around the world are already
taking concrete actions to rapidly cut their carbon emissions over the next
decade. Moreover, mobile connectivity is playing a major role in helping all
sectors of the economy reduce their climate impact — enabling smarter and more
efficient manufacturing, transport and building, to name a few. However, mobile
operators are determined to go further. We believe in the need to move to a more
circular economy to reduce the impact of mobile technology on the environment,
and applaud the latest commitments from 12 leading operators to accelerate the
transition to greater circularity. In addition to the environmental benefits,
more efficient and responsible use of resources could lower costs and make
devices more affordable for the unconnected.”

This latest initiative builds on the GSMA’s Strategy Paper for Circular Economy: Mobile Devices,
published in November 2022, which lays out a vision for the industry in which
devices with as long a lifetime as possible — made with 100 percent recyclable
and recycled content, and 100 percent renewable energy — and where no device
ends up as waste.