To understand the sustainability of choosing a refurbished one, the climate impact - or carbon footprint - is equal to the emissions captured by a small plant in ten years or 61.5 kg of carbon dioxide. The result is due to the elimination of activities with a high intensity of carbon emissions such as the procurement of materials, but also the assembly line of the same for production. A benefit that also contributes to avoiding the exploitation of the weakest for the extraction of the most precious resources in certain areas of the planet, with only a few companies certifying the ethics and provenance of the materials, such as the shining example of Fairphone of its sustainable smartphones. As we have already told you in a recent study, a refurbished smartphone is a device that has been brought back to new conditions thanks to interventions that repair any damage to the body, hardware or software. There are various levels and degrees of regeneration, the lighter ones deal with devices that have been returned for second thoughts or for small defects, while the most important ones can also involve the replacement of most of the components.
Many manufacturers promote the recovery of used smartphones with trade-ins or discounts and there are numerous trading platforms: Swappie, which was founded in 2016 and which in 2021 saved the environment 23,500 tons of CO 2, l 'equivalent to the share of 389,401 trees in 10 years. Sami Marttinen, CEO and co-founder of Swappie, said: “The last few months have put us in front of the evidence of the climate crisis our planet is facing with extreme heat and drought wreaking havoc globally. . The causes are numerous, but there is no doubt that man's behavior tends to aggravate the situation. We need to redouble our commitment and remind people of the collective impact of their choices and how they can make a real difference for the future of our planet ".