Behind televisions, smartphones are, along with laptops and tablets, the electronic equipment with the greatest environmental impact.
According to a study by theAdeme ( Ecological Tradition Agency), 78% of the carbon impact of our digital equipment would thus be due to their manufacture, compared to 21% for their use phase.
82 kg of raw materials per smartphone
The Ecological Transition Agency points to the fact that refurbished smartphones are up to eight times more virtuous than new models. The 2.8 million devices sold in France in 2020 (and probably 3 million in 2021), correspond to 229,000 tonnes of raw materials and 70,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The acquisition of such equipment would avoid the extraction of 82 kg of raw materials and the emission of 25 kg of greenhouse gases per year of use, “87% less than with new equipment” , specifies the Ademe. What to shout “cocorico”?
Old and local products
Advocating the extension of the lifespan of products, Ademe specifies that “reconditioning should ideally take place at the end of its first life”, ie after a minimum of three years of use. And it is necessary to distinguish between “reconditioned” and “reconditioned”…
In order to minimize the environmental effects, Ademe thus recommends that specialists in the sector repackage as close as possible to their market, with products from the same market. Another recommendation: optimize the packaging (mass, volume, materials) and set up an after-sales service that would make it possible not to replace parts systematically but to use second-hand parts.