ALL ABOUT REFURBISHED GADGETS: Why Choosing Reurbished Devices Can Save Mother Earth and Where to Buy Refurbished Phones

 Did you know that purchasing a reconditioned phone allows you to save money while also protecting the environment? This article gives you an understanding of how your smartphone might impact Mother Earth and how buying reconditioned phones can assist lessen environmental harm.

Today, when working from home is becoming more and more popular and students are being exposed to e-learning, having functional gadgets like smartphones is crucial.

Because of how crucial mobile devices are, the majority of individuals replace their phones every two years. Who wouldn't want to use the most recent technology, after all? No one questions it given how common this cycle of ongoing equipment upgrades is.

However, this behaviour is risky to the extent that it could seriously harm the environment and, consequently, your health.

How the environment is impacted by your smartphone:

The environment is not always negatively impacted by mobile devices. In fact, cellphones are among the technology with the lowest energy consumption. Two to six watts of electricity are required to charge a phone, and the annual cost is roughly one dollar.

The vast amount of materials and energy required to build a new phone, as well as the amount of garbage generated by the now-common update cycle, are these gadgets' two main sustainability issues.

• Utilised resources New mobile phone manufacturing consumes a lot of resources and emits a lot of carbon dioxide. Are you aware that purchasing one new phone consumes the same amount of energy as operating and charging a smartphone for ten years?

According to estimates, a new smartphone emits between 85% and 95% of its carbon dioxide during the course of its typical two-year lifespan during the production process.

The wiring of a smartphone is constructed of copper, gold, and silver, and the battery is built of lithium and cobalt. Small amounts of rare earth elements, such as yttrium, terbium, and dysprosium, are used to create the vibrant hues on your phone's display.

The extraction of rare elements has resulted in significant carbon dioxide emissions. And with every new model, more emissions are being produced. This is demonstrated by the fact that the iPhone 6s generates 57% more carbon dioxide than the iPhone 4s, while the iPhone 11 generates 6.6% more carbon dioxide than the iPhone XR.

• Waste Produced In case you were unaware, humans produce an increasing amount of electronic garbage annually. E-waste production in society exceeded 50 million tonnes in 2019 and is projected to treble by 2050.

Lead, cadmium, dioxins, furans, arsenic, mercury, DDT, PCB, chromium, vinyl chloride, and antimony are just a few of the very dangerous substances found in e-waste. Your smartphone contains some of those dangerous substances. These have the potential to result in birth deformities, harm to the central and peripheral neurological systems, altered blood types, harmed lungs, livers, and kidneys, as well as death.

Your smartphones contain chemicals that contaminate the air, water, and soil. Electronics are thought to make up 70% of toxic garbage, with phones as a significant contribution.

Why may purchasing used phones help the environment?

Refurbished phones are portable electronics that have been restored, fixed, or renovated. They are also known as reconditioned phones or pre-owned phones. These are items that customers have previously bought and then returned to the seller, cellular provider, or retailer.

Most of the time, these phones were in perfect working order even before they were repaired or updated. It's possible that these items were returned by buyers who merely decided they didn't like them. There have also been instances where used phones have had hardware issues or manufacture flaws. In certain circumstances, the cell phones were fixed and resold as refurbished goods.

People frequently acquire refurbished or used phones since they not only look and work like new smartphones but can also be had for a considerable price. They are a great way to get a hold of a high-quality item without breaking the bank.

Refurbished phones, however, are more than just that. They can also be a method for you to do your part to protect the environment.

• Fewer phones are dumped in landfills: 

Every year, the disposal of electronics, especially smartphones, results in the loss of rare earth elements and precious metals valued at billions of dollars. You will be helping a system that offers ecologically friendly iPhones when you purchase a reconditioned phone. You'll be buying a phone that would have otherwise gone to waste.

Every time you purchase a refurbished phone, you are helping a sector of the economy keep healthy products out of landfills where they could harm the environment by decomposing.

Decreases the demand for precious resources and carbon emissions:

According to studies, a mobile phone's lifetime carbon dioxide impact is reduced by a third by using it for an additional year. Choosing reconditioned phones will cut down on the need for rare resources and the emissions produced by purchasing a new phone.

Reduced e-waste:

The United Nations reports that between 2014 and 2019, the volume of electronic waste worldwide increased by 21%. Only 17.4% of the 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste that was discarded globally in 2019 was recycled.

Refurbished goods are fed back into the system, which helps to cut down on waste. As a result, you may trade in your old phone and purchase a refurbished handset rather than tossing it away and sending it to the landfill or leaving it sitting in a drawer.

Extending the Life of Mobile Devices:

Technology refurbishment is a specialty of some manufacturers and businesses, which helps to increase the lifespan of equipment. You can choose to sell your old phone to one of these producers or businesses if you have one. Your old phone will be repaired to pristine condition, after which someone else will purchase it.

Less harm to the environment:

Before and after you own a mobile phone, the device has a significant environmental impact. As was already mentioned, producing a smartphone uses a significant amount of resources. These materials are constructed after being dug up.

You are extending the life of the device when you purchase a refurbished phone. Yes, the harm done when it was first built cannot be totally repaired, but with each month you own the gadget, the damage gets smaller.

Decreases energy use:

Due to the enormous volume of devices produced due to strong demand, it is difficult to comprehend the detrimental pollution and energy released. New mobile phone production has a significant long-term impact on the use of finite resources.

The energy required to produce a new smartphone can be considerably reduced by purchasing a reconditioned model.

Favours Circular Economy: 

Purchasing a refurbished phone still allows you to save money on a gadget. The majority of smartphone makers now provide free software updates. This allows you to use the newest technologies for a fraction of the price of buying a new one.

There are businesses that let you buy a new smartphone and dispose of your old one in an environmentally responsible and secure manner.

The idea of a circular economy is gaining popularity, did you know that? And there's a good reason behind it. The idea of a circular economy ensures that products be used for a longer period of time than simply a few years while they are fashionable.

Refurbished smartphones are more durable and have a smaller total environmental impact when they are released back into the market.

Where can we purchase used phones?