Even though smartphones from companies like Apple and Samsung are made with significant amounts of recycled materials, phone manufacturing still has a dramatic impact on the environment.
Eco-friendly smartphone brand Fairphone has shared its first “Nature Report” with TechRadar in an exclusive first look, exploring the impact of consumer electronics on nature and biodiversity. And it paints a damning picture of smartphones.
The report found that 75% of a smartphone’s environmental impact occurs before it is sold, and the manufacturing of phones and the extraction of the materials needed for them puts pressure on biodiversity in 11 global mining hotspots:
- Brazil (Minas Gerais): Gold, Iron
- Porcelain (Ningxia): magnesium
- Guinea (Bauxite Belt): Aluminum
- India (Karnataka): Iron
- Indonesia (Maluku, Sulawesi, Bangka Belitung Islands): cobalt, nickel, tin
- Burma (Wa state): tin
- Peru (Ancash, San Rafael): Copper, Tin
- Philippines (Palawan Island): Nickel
Such pressure is a form of hidden harm that Fairphone says contributes to a crisis that has seen wildlife populations fall by almost 70% in 50 years.
While many technology companies may tout low carbon emissions, Fairphone’s report highlights that much of the environmental impact of consumer electronics comes from the supply chain and the extraction of materials needed to produce things like batteries, wiring, lenses and more.
Like much mining, the extraction of metals such as cobalt, aluminum and iron can have a serious environmental impact, with water and soil pollution, as well as deforestation, being secondary effects that affect local ecosystems and therefore wildlife.
However, that is part of the environmental effects of smartphone and consumer electronics production, with components being manufactured by separate companies and suppliers, which will then be used by a technology brand to assemble a phone, leading to negative effects such as excessive water use, greenhouse gas emissions and soil pollution.
For example, the report notes that the daily water consumption of a single large chip manufacturing facility may be comparable to the needs of a small or medium-sized city.
Given that many new phones come with new chips from companies like Qualcomm and MediaTek, it would seem that this is part of the supply chain for a phone that can have a substantial environmental impact.
This, along with other areas of the report, points out that just because a technology company may have low-carbon credentials does not mean that the products it supplies are harmless to the environment.
Need to go beyond recycling
However, given that Apple plans to use 100% recycled materials in the manufacturing of its devices by 2030, aiming to reuse cobalt, gold plating, aluminum and more, and Samsung has similar green and recycling goals, I asked Fairphone if that approach would somehow avoid some of the pollution and environmental impact mentioned above. The answer was enlightening and a little worrying…
“Even if a brand uses recycled materials, the report notes that approximately 75% of a smartphone’s environmental impact occurs during the manufacturing stage,” a Fairphone spokesperson explained, citing the aforementioned example of the need to produce new chips for phones.
“This means that even with high recycled content, the manufacturing process itself puts enormous pressure on nature.”
The spokesperson also noted that even with recycled materials, phone brands will still need some raw materials in their production, so even those with a large amount of recycled materials will still have an environmental impact in terms of material extraction as well as manufacturing processes.
“While recycled materials are great, we still urge the industry to take responsibility for the entire product journey by assessing its full impact on nature and biodiversity and setting actionable targets.”
Fairphone itself is not exempt from the pressures and challenges mentioned above, as its phones still use components and materials that have an environmental impact. But the company tenaciously seeks to reduce this by evaluating its supply chain and working with materials suppliers that have a less negative effect on the environment or surrounding ecologies.
Added to this is their goal of having phones that are easily repairable and have a longer lifespan than those of other brands, thus reducing the overall negative effect on the environment.
Building on this new report, Fairphone encourages other phone manufacturers to take a closer look at their supply chains and take steps to further explore how the negative environmental and ecological effects of smartphone and consumer electronics production can be reduced or mitigated.
“We urge industry to support local nature impact assessments on joint hotspots and to design and implement prevention, mitigation and remediation measures in a multi-stakeholder environment,” the report states. “This means collaborating with partners on the ground, with representatives of supplier companies and mines, government authorities and local (indigenous) communities.
“This commitment to sharing experiences and learning will allow companies to develop their individual strategies while actively protecting nature and biodiversity where they are most urgently needed.”
think differently
As a technology journalist, I really enjoy getting my hands on new gadgets and gadgets on a regular basis, and have attended many briefings promoting green credentials and highlighting the use of recycled materials.
So it’s arguably easy to get caught up testing the latest and greatest smartphones and laptops, without thinking about their environmental effect. But taking the Fairphone report into account and taking a small step back can be a sobering exercise.
When I look around my small apartment, I have a lot of electronic devices; I count at least five phones. That’s related to my job, but I’m pretty sure many of us have drawers or cabinets containing several unused and unrecycled phones from previous generations or other devices.
One of my big efforts at TechRadar is to ensure that we continue to use many of the devices that are sent to us or, if not, look to donate them to charities or recycle them. After all, many of these electronics contain rare materials, and their initial environmental impact during their manufacture means I think they should be used; Otherwise, the negative impact will be in vain.
That’s why I would encourage others to do the same whenever they can; Take a look and think about what you can do with your old electronics and contact local specialist recycling facilities.
Likewise, as Fairphone highlights, there is a need for phone brands and consumer electronics companies in general to do more to make technology greener.
Unfortunately, I think the constant need to launch products and the search for growth and added value for shareholders means there will almost certainly be a priority on making new devices rather than stopping the fire.
Obviously, that’s how companies work, but I think there might be a better way to do things. I already wrote about how I think phone brands should move away from the annual update model, especially since smartphones have become so iterative.
Look, I think the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s privacy screen is really smart, but other than that, does the device really bring something super special to the table that makes it a big generational leap from what came before? I would say a resounding no to my hands on time with the phone.
To its credit, Nothing appears to be migrating to a model where it will only release phones that are a significant upgrade from previous ones. And I really hope others follow suit, especially since I tend to think that a phone from several years ago isn’t that far behind today’s best phones.
With that in mind, not only do I expect and encourage phone makers to look at the environmental impact of their supply chains, but I also want them to think about their product cycle: making more money with services or add-ons, not iterative new releases.
But I also encourage you, dear readers, to think about your phone use: do you really need the latest phone or can you keep the one you have?
Let me know what you think of this perspective and what your opinion is on the impact of smartphones on the environment in the comments below.
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