Sustainable shopping: if you really, truly need a new phone, buy one with replaceable parts

Almost 90% of Australians own a smartphone, and almost 40% of us are expected to update our phone in the coming year.

Before taking that tempting upgrade, ask yourself if it’s really necessary.

The most sustainable mobile phone is actually the phone you already own! This is because manufacturing a phone has far more environmental impact than using it.

The circuit board, display and battery are primarily responsible for your phone’s environmental impacts. These contain valuable minerals such as cobalt, gold, silver, palladium and tin. Huge amounts of ore, processing and energy are required to yield small amounts of these materials.

Read the piece on The Conversation by a Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design from the UNSW, Miles Park -  “Sustainable shopping: if you really, truly need a new phone, buy one with replaceable parts.”