How Does Buying a Refurbished iPhone Impact the Environment?

How Does Buying a Refurbished iPhone Impact the Environment?

Have you considered buying refurbished iPhone? Mobile phones have become part of our daily lives. And although they make life convenient for us, we need to consider their environmental impact.

Just imagine billions of people using smartphones. When a new model appears, many people will ditch their old device to get the trendiest phone on the market.

All of these devices end up in the dump, which adds to the volume of garbage that is damaging the environment.

There are lots of advantages to buying a used iPhone. They are an excellent way to get your hands on a top-quality device at a great price, for starters.

Refurbished phones (and other products) provide an excellent way to limit society’s carbon footprint. But how does this work exactly?

This post will look at how buying refurbished iPhones can reduce a person’s carbon footprint.

What Is a Refurbished iPhone?

A refurbished iPhone is an iPhone that has been previously used and restored to its original condition. They are mostly sold by companies who want to get rid of their old stock. Also people who have upgraded to a newer model. and no longer need their old one.

Impact of a refurbished iPhone on the environment:

Less Tech Ending Up in Landfill

refurbished iphone is good for environment

Image: Pexels

When technology is thrown away, it does not go to some magical place where it is transformed into something new: it ends up in the landfill.

These are places where all our rubbish goes, and once you see one, it becomes clear that things must change. It is just not okay for us to keep piling up these spaces with our junk and hope that everything works out.

When you buy a refurbished phone, you support a system that provides environmentally friendly iPhones. That is because you will have bought a phone that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill.

Did you know that most of the technology that ends up in landfills is not broken? They only need refurbishment. If they are taken care of by a professional, they can effectively be brought back to life to the point where they feel almost brand new.

Every time you buy a refurbished product, you support an industry that stops used items from ending up where they will not decompose. Thereby negatively affecting the environment.

Less Waste

pexels

Image: Pexels

We have gotten used to the idea of waste. When we want something, we buy it; when we are tired of that item, we can just throw it away. There is no problem: there is plenty more where that came from!

Today, we all understand that living a lifestyle based on the endless consumption of new products is not okay. Sometimes, it is necessary – you cannot buy refurbished editions of everything after all.

But in other cases, it is the smart option. This is the case with refurbished iPhones! Rather than having a phone just sit in a drawer or going to the landfill. Refurbished phones get pumped back into the system, helping to reduce waste.

Reduces Energy Consumption

Photo by Matthew Henry

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

Think about the time, effort, and human resources needed to manufacture an electronic device. The energy and harmful pollutants released into the atmosphere are difficult to comprehend because of the massive volume of devices manufactured.

This has a long-lasting impact on the consumption of limited resources that are presently available. However, buying a refurbished iphone can significantly reduce energy consumption that would otherwise go into manufacturing a new device.

When purchasing a refurbished gadget, check if the device has minor technical glitches and get them fixed.

Better Than Recycling

Photo by Sigmund

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

Although the environmental impact of recycling is positive, it does take a lot of energy and time to recycle electronic products. Recycling consumes a lot of energy, and appears to be highly inefficient for the devices such as phones.

Also, the amount of waste generated is massive, as many electronic parts cannot be recycled. Therefore, buying a refurbished phone can fulfill the motive behind ‘reuse and reduce.’

Refurbished iPhone Consumes Fewer Raw Materials

Photo by Aurelien Romain refurbished iphone

Photo by Aurelien Romain on Unsplash

Most raw materials used in manufacturing electronics are difficult to source. Moreover, they require extensive digging and mining into the earth. Also, the carbon footprint generated from transporting the raw materials to the manufacturing factories is considerably very high.

Additionally, people use unethical mining practices such as inhumane working conditions and the employment of children. These implications of purchasing a brand-new phone can be avoided when you decide to buy a refurbished phone.

Refurbished iPhone has Less Carbon Footprint
Photo by Marcin Jozwiak

Photo by Marcin Jozwiak on Unsplash

The carbon footprint generated from the production of an electronic device from scratch is high. By the time the product gets to the marketplace, it has done immense harm to the environment directly and indirectly.

Opting for a refurbished phone extends the product’s lifespan, thereby saving a properly functioning phone from ending up in a landfill.

Buying a refurbished iphone resets the clock and reduces the environmental impact. Reducing the carbon footprint is essential to an eco-friendly lifestyle in today’s digital era.

Refurbished iPhone Supports the Circular Economy

Photo by Brandon Romanchuk refurbished iphone

Photo by Brandon Romanchuk on Unsplash

By buying a refurbished phone, you can still get a good deal on a device that might only be a few months old. With free software updates, you have access to the latest technology for a small part of the cost of purchasing a new one.

The concept of a circular economy is becoming popular for a good reason. It’s about ensuring that you extend a product’s lifespan, not just for a few years while they are still trendy.

Most tech gadgets are robust and are built to be long-lasting. So, when electronic gadgets are refurbished and placed back into circulation, this extends the product’s lifespan. Also, it reduces the overall environmental impact on the planet.

Conclusion

Choosing refurbished phones can have several benefits, not just in terms of finances but for the environment too.

Aside from being sold at discounted prices, refurbished phones are good for the environment because they are restored to be used again. This means they are in circulation longer; thus, they won’t end up in the dump. This is considerably better than being disposed of when they can be fixed and restored to factory settings for someone else to use.

 

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