We’ve reached a point of advancement in all areas that we’re practically living in the future. From smartphones and smartwatches to smarthomes, all of these features and capabilities were practically science fiction only 30 years ago.
At this rapid pace of innovation, tech consumption has also reached astronomical levels that bring with it significantly high costs; not just in terms of money, but in terms of resources and pollution.
Circular Tech Economy was introduced as a model to limit the harms of manufacturing and consumption of tech without hindering the advancement path or limiting the users’ options. UK tech buyers have been shifting toward the Circular Tech Economy options, such as getting their devices repaired instead of buying new, and keeping devices in use and in circulation.
In this article, we’re exploring the impact of refurbished smartphones on the Circular Tech Economy model in terms of sustainability, shifting the users’ mindset, financial savings, and resource conservation.
What is The Circular Tech Economy?
In a traditional economic model, the process is linear. The production/consumption line depends on taking resources from the earth, manufacturing products with these resources, products then being sold, used, and discarded. This process resulted in enormous amounts of waste of resources under the one-use model.
The Circular Tech Economy is an alternative model presented to rectify and limit the losses that would otherwise occur in a linear economy. The point of this circular model is to reduce waste through entering these materials and resources into a cycle of reuse and repair to keep the resources in circulation for as long as possible.
In the Circular Tech Economy, refurbishing devices, especially smartphones, is one of the main drivers, as smaller devices like smartphones have the shortest lifecycles in the linear economy, where it can be as short as 1 year due to yearly launches of new smartphones.
Research has shown that extending a smartphone’s life by one year through Circular Tech Economy will reduce almost 30% of the phone’s carbon footprint and save about 50kg of CO2 emissions.
Why Refurbished Smartphones Fit Perfectly Into This Model
As mentioned before, smartphones are among the electronics with the shortest cycles. People tend to upgrade their phones when new features and capabilities are launched in newer models, and newer models are being released every single year.
Refurbished smartphones, as the solution of the Circular Tech Economy, are significantly extending the lives of handsets by giving them a full new life for new users. Since over 90% of a smartphone’s carbon footprint is created during the manufacturing process due to resource exhaustion and the energy consumption necessary for production, extending the life of the phone is the smart solution.
By repairing and renewing smartphones in the refurbishment process, the Circular Tech Economy allows the market to avoid additional CO2 emissions and waste of the materials already used to manufacture the existing handset.
Environmental & Resource Benefits
While a smartphone may not seem like much on the surface level, manufacturing a single smartphone requires precious non-renewable resources. A part of the environmental cost of manufacturing a new smartphone includes mining for gold, silver, copper, tin, lithium, and aluminum, to name a few metals. The mining process alone costs our air, water, and soil massive pollution, not to mention the effects on wildlife, as well as the quality of life for the people living in the mining regions.
Opting to refurbish smartphones to extend their lives saves the planet and the economy the additional costs of mining new metals and other resources, as we’re essentially reusing materials that have already been extracted.
How Circular Tech Economy Benefits Consumers
As a tech user, it’s your right to have a personal interest in participating in the Circular Economy. This model is not here only for the planet, and choosing to be a part of the reuse cycle will indeed result in great benefits for you.
- Lower Costs: Refurbished smartphones come at lower prices. This means that you can get the mobile you want at a cheaper price with great quality, or you can even get a better model with higher specs and more capabilities at the same price as a mid-range phone.
- Reduced Waste: Effortlessly participating in reducing e-waste while saving money has its positive psychological effects on users as they sense the effects of their role in growing a more sustainable economy through responsible tech purchases.
- Better Resource Use: Since the production of new smartphones depletes Earth of important non-renewable resources, by opting for refurbished, you’re becoming a part of a movement that reduces the rate at which these resources are being depleted.
- Shift in Mindset: As more UK buyers in the tech market start to make eco-conscious choices in their purchases, the general mindset shifts toward sustainable consumption. This ultimately results in a reduction in demand for new electronics and a reduction in manufacturing-caused pollution.
The most significant barrier against buying refurbished phones is the doubt about the quality of the devices and the support and guarantees that come with them. This barrier can easily be removed by researching refurbished sellers and choosing ones that follow industry standards and provide both evidence and after-sales support to protect the customer.
QwikFone is one of the UK’s most trusted refurbishers, thanks to its history of providing premium refurbished flagship and mid-range devices in biodegradable packaging with a proper 12-month warranty and a 30-day refund guarantee on all deals.
Conclusion
As the Circular Tech Economy expands, it offers new opportunities for both resources used in manufacturing electronics and for the people buying and using electronics. Smartphones, as one of the fastest circulating types of electronics, are a huge part of the circular model. Choosing a refurbished phone is better for your budget, variety of choices in models and specs, and for the environment.
Before your next smartphone upgrade, get to know the refurbished market and what it has to offer. Adopting sustainable purchasing habits in tech has significant benefits for you and the collective. Choose a reliable eco-conscious refurbished like QwikFone to ensure you’re getting a safe deal on your next mobile phone.