As of 2024, the number of smartphone owners worldwide reached approximately 4.88 billion people, which is just over 60% of the global population. The number of smartphones in use globally is around 7.21 billion.
With these figures likely to keep on growing as smartphones become more accessible for a greater number of people, we need to understand the impact of this technology on the planet. What are the issues? And what can we do about them?
The carbon footprint of smartphone manufacturing
The carbon footprint of a smartphone varies significantly depending on the manufacturer, model and method used to measure impact. So it’s difficult to pinpoint one figure for their carbon emissions, but we can make some solid estimates.
These typically range anywhere from 31kg to 55kg of C02 emitted into the atmosphere per smartphone, which is roughly equivalent to between 221.6km and 393.1km of driving respectively.
Smartphone production also requires around 12,760 litres of water per device, if you factor in all the steps from mining to manufacturing. That’s a hell of a lot of water when you consider that approximately 1.14 billion smartphones were shipped in 2023 alone.
The mining and manufacturing process
Smartphones are often made with materials such as precious metals (including silver and gold) and minerals (including copper, lithium and cobalt). The most common metals used are iron, aluminium and copper, and silicone and plastic account for about half the make-up of these devices.
Many of these materials are mined in locations like South America and Australia. Mining can have a negative impact on ecosystems in a number of ways:
Spills of byproducts can contaminate the soil, water and air, which can impact human and animal health
Mining often leads to deforestation, which in turn releases the carbon dioxide captured by trees
Local communities and native wildlife can be displaced
Mining is usually powered by fossil fuels, making it carbon intensive.
It’s thought that between 85% and 95% of a smartphone’s carbon footprint comes from the production phase, with every component producing its own carbon emissions before the device is even fully built. But use and ownership of smartphones has a carbon footprint too.
The carbon footprint of smartphone use
Research into the annual carbon emissions from using a smartphone estimates that an hour’s use a day for a year produces an average of 63kg of C02 emissions, rising to 90kg for 10 hours of use per day for a year.
A report by Reboxed notes that many of these emissions come from aspects of the infrastructure that smartphones rely on, such as running servers, air conditioning for the servers and broadband networks. It’s also estimated that a one-minute call between two mobile phones produces between 50 and 60g of carbon.
These figures quickly add up when you remember 4.3 billion people use a smartphone. Most people will use them for far longer than a minute, too – a 2024 survey of how Brits use their smartphones found:
50% of respondents check their phone first thing in the morning
27% use their phone for an hour or less per day
24% use their phone for between one and two hours per day
5% of Millennials use their phone for over 10 hours per day.
How the smartphone industry is changing
The rise of the used smartphone market
Many people simply buy a new device when they need a new smartphone. Perhaps they’re eligible for an upgrade, or they’d like to try the latest version of their current model.
But the number of people buying used smartphones instead is on the rise. Some 25% of UK consumers who bought a device in 2023 chose a refurbished or second-hand model – an increase from 19% in 2021. Saving money seems to the main driver of this.
Refurbished smartphones have been tested, repaired and restored to a like-new condition. Second-hand smartphones don’t have any improvements made to them.
Smartphone recycling
Ever wondered what happens to a smartphone when it reaches the end of its lifespan? In many cases an old phone will just sit at the back of a cupboard somewhere, forgotten, or be sent to landfill.
However, smartphone recycling is on the rise as consumers become more environmentally conscious, with approximately 10% of old devices recycled in the EU.
Recycling a smartphone can help to recover the materials used to make it, including the precious metals. It’s thought that by recycling one million phones, we could recover 772lbs (350.17kg) of silver and 75lbs (34kg) of gold. Recycling also stops hazardous materials from leaking into landfill sites and harming the ecosystem.
How to reduce your e-waste impact
Information about the impact of smartphones can be overwhelming. But there are some simple, practical things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint – from the way you use your phone, to extending your device’s lifespan, to recycling.
Reduce your phone use and energy consumption
Smartphones are a big part of daily life for many of us. Some of the things we do with them may have a positive environmental effect – making ticketless purchases or doing paperless banking, for example. But we also know that using a smartphone leads to carbon emissions.
The more you use your device the more electricity it consumes, a large proportion of which in this country continues to be generated by fossil fuels. So the simplest place to start is to cut down on how much you use your device. This may be easier said than done, but it’s all about finding a balance.
Tips for cutting down on smartphone screen time:
Start by tracking your current screen time. Many devices have this information easily accessible in Settings. You may be surprised by the number, which may get you thinking about making changes.
Make time for activities that don’t involve your phone. This could be hobbies such as sports and exercise, reading a physical book, crafts, everyday chores like cooking and cleaning, or spending time with family and friends — with your phone firmly hidden away.
Use one screen at a time. It’s tempting to scroll your smartphone while you’re watching TV, but as well as being hard work for your brain you’re consuming more energy too.
Set boundaries in your work and personal life. Avoid checking emails after hours and turn off any work notifications. Take a break from social media too – we’re all likely to enjoy our time with loved ones more if we can resist the urge to keep checking our phones at the same time.
Send texts instead of calling. Texting uses fewer carbon emissions than phone calls.
Reboxed has some more tips for reducing energy consumption from your smartphone use:
Turn your autoplay settings from HD to a lower (and less energy-consuming) resolution when premium picture quality isn’t essential
Do your streaming over WiFi rather than mobile networks where you can
Switch off any automatic downloads coming from apps on your phone
Switch off any cloud backups that you don’t need (but check your mobile is still backing up somewhere)
Make calls over your mobile network rather than over the internet if you can.
Think about the lifespan of your phone
When it comes to reducing your footprint, using your existing phone for longer is a big part of the picture too. Extending the lifecycle of our phones can reduce the environmental impacts of mining and manufacture. Here are some practical steps to consider:
Don’t automatically upgrade your device as soon as you’re able to. If your current smartphone is still working well, why not just keep it in circulation for longer? The Restart Project estimates that if the lifespan of every phone sold in a year was extended by one third, we could prevent an amount of carbon emissions equal to Ireland’s annual emissions.
Try not to get swept up by new product announcements and adverts. The difference between one smartphone model and the next isn’t always huge. Chances are you’ll save time and money by simply keeping the phone you already have until you really need a replacement.
Take out a SIM-only contract. A SIM-only contract is a deal where you get a SIM card but not a mobile phone. You pay a monthly fee in return for minutes for calls, texts, and a data allowance. It’s useful if you already have a device but want a better deal. You only upgrade when you truly need to.
If you’re wary about buying a used phone, choose a new modular phone instead. Modular phones are designed so each part can be replaced when it breaks, instead of you replacing the entire device.
The lifespan of smartphones varies considerably between different manufacturers, contracts and upgrades, but can be increased with SIM-only contracts and a repair-first mindset.
Repair your phone
Decades ago, appliances were created with the idea that they could be repaired if anything went wrong. But businesses figured out that if something broke and couldn’t be repaired, the consumer was likely to buy a new one, making them more money. It became more difficult to repair devices as a result.
But the tide is turning. We now have a greater understanding of sustainability, and with cost of living challenges people are reluctant to buy something new when a device breaks. In many cases it could be fixed for less.
Look at what repairs are possible if your phone isn’t working properly. There might be an easy, relatively inexpensive way to fix what’s wrong. For example, screens can be repaired, with specialist shops now commonplace on the UK high street. Phone batteries can often be replaced by professional refurbishers when necessary too.
Recycle
A large proportion of smartphone components can be recycled and reused: up to 80% in some instances. Here’s how to recycle an old device:
Donate it to charity. For example, you can donate an old smartphone to Oxfam via their shops and they’ll wipe the data before selling it, or send it to be safely recycled.
Trade it in to be refurbished. Many refurbished tech sites allow you to trade in your old device for a discount on a refurbished one.
Send it to an online reseller. You’ll make a little money, and the device will be passed on to a good home.
If your phone is broken and can’t be refurbished, you can recycle it at your local recycling centre. Do this as soon as possible, when more components can be used.
Take the first step in minimising your smartphone’s impact on the environment by comparing SIM-only deals today.
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