2020 Olympic medals may be partly made from old iPhones (well, I guess that’s a start…)

Our Digital Circular Economy Days 2021 are packed with insightful talks around the principles of RE-duce, RE-use and RE-cycle of material solutions to support you on our common path towards a more sustainable future.  Whether it’s an insightful highlight or an expert talk on circularity in the value chain, on circular design, or product solutions, you can always look forward to a range of new impulses and opportunities. Register now for as many talks as you like and experience our latest sustainable innovations, exciting exchanges of information and live interaction with our experts during our webinars and Q&As.

As smartphone sales have skyrocketed, so has the device’s contribution to waste streams and carbon emissions.
Manufacturers will need to conserve resources as 6 of the key elements for mobile phones will run out in the next 100 years. Changes to business models and consumer habits will be needed to tackle electronic waste. The ability to repair phones will be key to conserving resources, tackling e-waste and climate mitigation, and building a circular economy for electronics. Roughly four in ten people globally owned a smartphone in 2018 and that number continues to grow rapidly. This growth is driven by steady sales of the devices – more than 1 billion each year – putting hand-sized computers in people’s pockets.