The tech industry has a significant impact on the environment every year. Mobile and smartphone production cause a massive environmental disaster as the extraction of some components like cobalt or lithium is highly polluting. Further, the manufacturing and shipping of the products generate a high level of greenhouse gases.
Studies show that buying a new phone takes as much energy as recharging and operating a smartphone for an entire decade. Currently, only 1-3% of smartphones are recycled, and users usually keep their phones for a maximum of 2 years on average. So, with hardly any durable or repairable products, a low recycling rate and a short lifespan, the phone industry is far from being sustainable for the environment. Even after a fruitful life of use, toxic metals in phones will continue to contaminate water and soil if they end up in landfill sites. Therefore, it’s important to limit and delay phones’ impact on the environment.