{"id":19230,"date":"2022-11-02T10:02:13","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T10:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?p=19230"},"modified":"2025-06-11T17:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T16:04:17","slug":"gsma-publishes-vision-for-a-circular-economy-of-mobile-devices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/gsma-publishes-vision-for-a-circular-economy-of-mobile-devices\/","title":{"rendered":"GSMA PUBLISHES VISION FOR A \u2018CIRCULAR ECONOMY\u2019 OF MOBILE DEVICES"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sustainable future for mobile devices requires a \u2018zero waste\u2019 supply chain and longer-lasting smartphones <\/em><\/p>\n

2nd November 2022, London<\/strong>: In the lead-up to COP27, the GSMA has published a new, long-term vision for how the mobile industry can increase the circularity of its supply and production chains for mobile devices.<\/p>\n

The GSMA\u2019s Strategy Paper for Circular Economy: Mobile Devices<\/a> lays out the following vision for the industry:<\/p>\n

Devices with as long a lifetime as possible, <\/em>
\nmade with 100% recyclable and recycled content,
\n<\/em>100% renewable energy,
\n<\/em>and where no device ends up as waste <\/em><\/p>\n

This ambition is backed up by a newly developed \u2018circularity model\u2019 for the mobile industry, which lays out the principles that operators should consider as they aim to build a circular supply and manufacturing chain by 2050, based on two overarching concepts of \u201cmaximised longevity\u201d and \u201czero waste\u201d.<\/p>\n

Steven Moore, Head of Climate Action\u00a0at\u00a0GSMA and Mobile Sector Lead for the UN Climate Champions said: \u201cThe mobile industry is making real progress on circularity, but there\u2019s a lot more to do to reduce the environmental impact of devices we rely on every day to stay connected. By setting out a new vision of systemic change for the sector, we\u2019re laying the groundwork for the mobile industry to reduce material waste and increase the longevity of devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erik Wottrich, Head of Sustainability at Tele2 who led the development of the strategy paper said: \u201cAn increased circularity for devices has a huge potential to reduce negative environmental impact, and at the same time to enable new business models that can generate new business opportunities. This is a great step forward for us as an industry, but there is still much work to be done. Tele2 is proud to have led the development of the strategy paper as we are committed to advancing circular economy by developing new customer offerings based on a circular business model, which will be key for us to reduce our negative solutions-and-impact\/connectivity-for-good\/external-affairs\/climate-action\/ impact and to achieve our scope 3\/value-chain science-based target.<\/p>\n

Environmental Repercussions <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Mobile phones play an essential and positive role in the lives of people around the globe, connecting us to loved ones, enabling digital inclusion and delivering economic progress worldwide. However, over their life cycle, they also have environmental impacts \u2013 both positive and negative. Mobile phones contribute to carbon reduction by reducing the need to travel, but also cause environmental impacts of their own.<\/p>\n

Of the life cycle of a mobile phone, the majority of environmental impact – around 80% – is in its manufacture. Over 50 different materials can currently be found in an average smartphone, including plastics, ceramics, rare metals, copper and silicon. Mining for these materials can cause negative environmental and social impacts. Manufacturing and assembly also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use.<\/p>\n

Currently, around 2 billion phones are sold annually, and more than 90% of the global population owns a mobile phone.[1]<\/a> However, 85% of mobile phones are not currently formally recycled, limiting the life cycle of the materials used to build them, and reducing opportunities to improve digital inclusion by extending access to affordable re-used devices.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Extending the lifetime of all smartphones in the world by one year has the potential to save up to 21.4 million tonnes of CO2<\/sub> emissions annually by 2030, equal to taking more than 4.7 million cars off the road.<\/p>\n

The GSMA\u2019s paper emphasises the importance of engaging all elements of the supply chain to drive a step-change in the circularity of the mobile device market \u2013 from operators to suppliers, manufacturers to consumers, repairers to recyclers; all have a role to play.<\/p>\n

The Circularity Model<\/strong><\/p>\n

The GSMA\u2019s new \u2018circularity model\u2019 revolves around the principles of \u201cmaximised longevity\u201d and \u201czero waste\u201d. Longevity is important in reducing the impact of producing devices. The average use time of a phone is around three years[1]<\/a>, however the technical lifespan is between four and seven years[2]<\/a> and the optimal lifetime for a mobile phone in terms of minimising its solutions-and-impact\/connectivity-for-good\/external-affairs\/climate-action\/ impact could be at least 25 years[3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Signs For Optimism<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whilst the GSMA\u2019s vision lays out a future pathway towards true circularity, progress is already being made by mobile operators. Research shows that 11% of smartphones sold worldwide today are refurbished and the market is increasing.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Consumers are also becoming more interested in second-hand products as well as sustainability at large, meaning devices are used for longer and device recycling schemes are more frequently used.[5]<\/a>,[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In the past seven years, the mobile phone replacement cycle has increased by 10 months, from 24 months in 2014 to 34 months in 2021 worldwide.[7]<\/a> This trend is expected to continue with the refurbished mobile device market predicted to be worth more than $140bn by 2030 compared to $49.9bn in 2020.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/786876\/replacement-cycle-length-of-smartphones-worldwide\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Miliute-Plepiene, J. & Youhanan, L. (2019). E-waste and raw materials: from environmental issues to business models. IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.<\/a><\/p>\n

[3]<\/a>\u00a0 EEB. 2019. Coolproducts don\u2019t cost the earth \u2013 full report. Brussels: EEB.<\/a> & Miliute-Plepiene, J. & Youhanan, L. (2019). E-waste and raw materials: from environmental issues to business models. IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> https:\/\/www.persistencemarketresearch.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> CapGemini 2021, Circular Economy for a Sustainable Future.<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a>https:\/\/www.simon-kucher.com\/sites\/default\/files\/studies\/Simon-Kucher_Global_Sustainability_Study_2021.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/786876\/replacement-cycle-length-of-smartphones-worldwide\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> https:\/\/www.persistencemarketresearch.com\/mediarelease\/global-refurbished-and-used-mobile-phones-market.asp<\/a><\/p>\n

-ENDS-<\/p>\n

About GSMA
\n<\/strong>The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today\u2019s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world\u2019s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.<\/p>\n

We invite you to find out more at\u00a0gsma.com<\/a><\/p>\n

About Tele2:
\n<\/strong><\/em>Tele2\u2019s purpose is to enable a society of unlimited possibilities<\/em>. Ever since Tele2 was founded in 1993, we have continued to challenge prevailing norms and dusty monopolies. Today our networks enable mobile and fixed connectivity, telephony, data network services, TV, streaming and global IoT solutions for millions of customers. We drive growth through customer satisfaction and smart combined offerings. Tele2 has been listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since 1996. In 2021, Tele2 generated revenue of SEK 27 billion and reported an underlying EBITDAaL of SEK 10 billion. For latest news and definitions of measures, please see our homepage www.tele2.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Media Contacts
\n<\/strong>GSMA Press Office
\npressoffice@gsma.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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