How to Be Eco-Friendly When Buying Your Next Phone

published Aug 18, 2022

2 min read

Mobile phone

More than ever, the world needs our help!

Nowadays, it is not difficult to use environmentally friendly products. You just have to keep in mind that nature needs our help and be more conscious of resources because misuse of resources has put the planet in danger and we are the only ones who can stop the degradation. While it can be difficult to make a difference as an individual, conserving resources and using eco-friendly products is a great way for everyone to participate in preserving our planet and ecosystem.

Eco-friendly literally means “environmentally friendly” or “not harmful to the environment”, and it prevents pollution of air, water, and soil. Eco-friendly products are innovative and modern, often save you money, and allow you to avoid waste. They are a wise decision for all families.

Eco-friendly technology products

There are many environmentally friendly products, including those in the technology sector. Since electronics are an integral part of our lives – from TVs to cell phones – we should switch to eco-friendly tech devices to protect both our family and the environment.

Below are some strategies for using technology in an environmentally friendly way:

Using laptops and TVs with low lighting, it does not shine as bright but still provides excellent images and colors.
Replacing incandescent bulbs with lower wattage bulbs or with environmentally friendly bulbs.
Use solar-powered backpacks. These backpacks are equipped with solar cells connected to internal power sources, so you can charge any USB-powered device.
Use solar-powered accessories, such as a wireless keyboard. There are many wireless solar keyboards that are charged by either the sun or artificial light and can even hold the charge for up to 3 months!
Smart power strips. They use technology with a unique circuit that detects the transition to standby mode and interrupts the transmission of power from the outlet to the device. For example, if you turn off the TV, the smart power strip will cut off the power to all game consoles, cable boxes, etc. connected to the TV.

How to be Eco-Friendly When Buying Your Next Phone?

Apple never ceases to amaze us with its technological offerings. The company’s goal is to manufacture products from recycled materials and to be climate-neutral.

Before you buy a new smartphone, you should consider what you can do to protect the environment, because the production of cell phones requires dozens of minerals that have a significant impact on the environment. The chip and motherboard of a smartphone also require the most energy to manufacture, as they are made of precious metals that are expensive to mine.

Below are some of the ways we mention before you decide to buy a future phone:

If you need a new phone, buy one with replaceable parts

The circuit board, display, and battery are primarily responsible for the environmental impact of your phone. They contain valuable minerals such as cobalt, gold, silver, palladium, and tin. To extract small amounts of these materials requires huge amounts of ores, processing, and energy.

So think carefully about which phone you choose before you buy it, and which cards you choose for it, such as sim-only deals which are also more affordable. Choose a phone made from eco-friendly materials and components that are suitable for your business and everyday life, while being kind to the environment.

When you replace your phone, it’s important that you recycle your old phone responsibly to ensure that valuable materials can be recovered and toxic materials can be disposed of properly. And when you sell or recycle your old phone, make sure you have removed the old SIM card, erased all data, and reset the phone.

Rethink the upgrade

When technology companies are so quick to promote the latest and greatest devices, it can be difficult to avoid updating. This means that generally perfectly functioning smartphones are discarded in favor of newer versions after only 2 or 3 years. The lifespan of a phone can extend to six years or more if it has been refurbished, so there are many unused but fully functional phones out there.

Try refurbished ‍phone

If you don’t want to buy a new phone, consider a refurbished phone. A refurbished phone is professionally inspected to ensure that all components, including the battery, buttons, speakers, and camera, are working properly. And the best thing about refurbished products is that you can buy a smartphone that’s “as good as new” without having to spend the full retail price (like the refurbished iPhone XR)

Smartphone subscription

Try a new, cheaper, greener, and generally easier way to use a smartphone: a subscription. With a subscription, you simply lease the device instead of paying higher fees for an outright purchase. You can take full advantage of the service without worrying about ownership, just like the popular subscription models such as Netflix.

Conclusion:

Using eco-friendly products is a must nowadays because you should protect the earth, the family, and the environment in general. There are also eco-friendly waste products in the technology industry, and it is a great fact that you can replace your old products with new ones, and should choose them to be more eco-friendly. For example, the keyboard, backpacks, smartphones, etc.
Smartphones have a great impact on the environment because there are so many minerals in them. Therefore, we should choose some options before buying a new device, such as a smartphone subscription or refurbished phone, or don’t sell or replace the phone because they are sustainable for a longer life cycle.

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