Two billion smartphones are produced worldwide every year. This has numerous effects that are invisible to consumers. According to online marketplace Refurbed, which sells used items, the electrical industry is responsible for emitting 70 billion kilograms of harmful CO2 emissions. To make these consequences visible, Refurbed commissioned a study. Fraunhofer Austria determined the ecological balance of electrical appliances, including CO2 emissions, water consumption and electrical waste generated – for newly purchased and used products.
More than 10,000 smartphones, tablets and laptops were analyzed. The year of manufacture and the transport routes are crucial. The information provided by the manufacturers varies, says Paul Rudorf from Fraunhofer Austria. But that was compensated for by projections. The procedure was certified by an independent body.
One result of the study: Anyone who buys the iPhone 11 Pro Max (512 GB) used instead of new saves 102.6 kilograms of CO2. When you buy a new smartphone, it costs 117 kilograms, while a used smartphone only costs 14.4 kilograms. On average, buying a used smartphone, laptop or tablet saves 80 percent of CO2.
“We now have the opportunity to create the transparency that everyone says is desirable but not possible,” said Peter Windischhofer. The detailed results will be made available on Refurbed’s website. The Viennese company was founded in 2017, and the founding trio also includes Windischhofer from Münzbach. “Our goal is to make consumption more sustainable,” he said.
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Image: refurbed
Source: Nachrichten
