As I watched my phone fall sideways into the concrete, I assumed it was fine. But there it was, a big spider crack and small specks of glass on the surface. Oh, and a black blob of dead pixels. Great.

Not only have I just reached the end of my expensive contract, I love my phone and don’t want a new one. But my first thought was, oh I’ll just upgrade. Who doesn’t love the feel of a shiny new phone in their hand with the latest pointless features we all survived without?

Of course, as I was browsing the new deals for iPhones and Pixels, the thoughtful voice in my head pondered, is this ethical, sustainable or eco friendly? And the short answer is no.

No. Mobile phones are not truly ethical or environmentally sustainable.

Mobile phones put massive strains on the environment for a lot of reasons. These include the insanely high demands of raw materials, large use of harmful chemicals, creation of waste and release of greenhouse gases. And that’s just for manufacturing, the end of life of phones is even more dire. They end up in a landfill.

It’s not all awful. Consumers are more conscious, we want conscious choices and tech companies aren’t all evil. No planet means no people to sell phones to right?

Giants like Google and Apple are trying to be better with their carbon footprint by using renewable energy and recycling old phones. They even try to ensure their servers are on renewable energy so all those pictures and videos you haven’t looked at for three years are on clean energy.

In fact many rate Apple as the best for their sustainability (even though their accessories make them a limited choice). Both Google and Apple rank higher than Samsung, Nokia and Motorola in their environmental scores in terms of renewable resources and recycling programmes.

However almost all of these companies are caught up in tax avoidance and have serious issues with human rights in their factories and mines including preventable deaths, low wages and child labour.

Supply chain management is particularly difficult to track and trust without people being on site all the time. The materials needed to make phones aren’t usually recycled, but wouldn’t that be a step in the right direction? Companies buying back old phones and using them to create new ones?

And the toxic waste and chemicals that are produced aren’t always disposed of safely. Consumers also don’t really know much about this, but would it sit well with you to know that a child died inhaling the toxic materials from your phone?

Moreover, every one of these tech companies still release new phones almost yearly, with almost the same specifications. Some even release two versions of the same phone to make it seem like value to get the pricier one. Profits are far more important to tech giants than the environment. Otherwise why would they not take back old phones? And even if you buy a new phone, it’ll be obsolete before anyone’s had a chance to really review whether or not it’s good…

A way forward

Creating phones that can be upgraded and easily repaired is the right way forward and should be the only way forward.

There’s only one phone that does this right now, and it’s the most ethical smartphone available: Fairphone. It has easily repairable hardware, coming with a screwdriver to offer you freedom to make upgrades when the technology becomes available. And, they really focus in on supply chain, down to the fourth level to source conflict free materials.

But even Fairphone has its problems and it’s unclear about how they manage toxic waste. They don’t report on this or on their greenhouse emissions in much detail so it’s difficult to know just how energy efficient and environmentally friendly they are. And as before, it’s nearly impossible to fully control and trust supply chains.

What are the options?

As there’s no such thing as a truly sustainable phone, your best option is to take care of what you and avoid the urge to ditch and get a new one. The longer you keep your phone, the better it is for the environment!

Here are some more ways to live thoughtfully and have a more environmentally friendly phone:

• Take care of what you have so it lasts a long time.
• Repair your phone when it gets damaged. It won’t cost as much as a new phone and it helps the earth.
• Reuse your old phone if it’s not working for other things, like a baby monitor.
• Look to buy a second hand phone or a refurbished one before getting a new one. You can often find used flagship phones that are the latest tech for a lot less.
• Recycle or sell your old phone when you can’t use it anymore. Give it a second home and extra use.

You can and should also put pressure on tech companies to produce better, cleaner and greener phones. If you buy directly, or even indirectly, why not send an email to ask for more information about their supply chain practice, renewable energy and if they will start a recycling programme?

A culprit that often also falls under the radar is the network provider. Network providers are the biggest customers and clients that phone companies deal with. If you’re due an upgrade, ask for a more sustainable and ethical phone, question why they don’t have more offers available and when they’ll start to create more environmentally friendly products. The more we demand, the faster they’ll change.

And what’s the most ethical phone then? The one in your hand right now. Take care of your phone and you’ll take care of the earth.

We live in an exciting time, the world is at our fingertips, social media is everywhere and with AI advances, who knows where we’ll go as technology develops to improve our lives in a myriad of ways. But it shouldn’t cost the earth and the people, so be thoughtful before you decide to buy a brand new phone.

Repair. Reuse. Recycle.

_{References: ethicalconsumer.org; techradar.com; unep.org; mossy.earth}

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