Sustainable Smartphones—Possible Or A Pipe Dream?

In the last 15 years, smartphones have become the dominant force of technological and cultural development. In 2021, the number of smartphone users in the world today is now roughly 3.8 billion, which translates to 48.33% of the world's population owning a smartphone. For most people, smartphones are now inseparable from work, entertainment, socializing, and other elements of modern life. With growing awareness about climate change and ecological destruction, we need to evaluate how our smartphone-hungry society affects the environment and reduce any negative impacts.

The smartphone changed society as we knew it. It is up to businesses and consumers to create a new status quo for smartphone consumption and usage. The shift in smartphone usage that began in the early 2000s pushed marketers to adjust their strategies and campaigns accordingly to accommodate mobile devices. Companies that failed to do so risk losing significant revenue and exposure. However, smartphone technology comes with a stark environmental price. The smartphone is the culmination of human technological achievement and as such, has a massive supply chain. It requires a huge global network of industries. The manufacturing of smartphones accounts for 85-95% of smartphone's total emissions. The average smartphone creates 55 kilograms of carbon emissions in manufacturing, equal to 26 weeks of laundry.

The manufacturing of smartphones accounts for 85-95% of smartphone's total emissions. The average smartphone creates 55 kilograms of carbon emissions in manufacturing, equal to 26 weeks of laundry.

In 2018, the total carbon footprint in the manufacturing of smartphones is at least equal to the Philippines’ annual carbon emissions, a country of over 100 million people. These figures alone require us to pause and reflect on our favorite pieces of technology. When we look at how they are made, it paints a clear picture. The iPhone, for example, has over 200 components. Many of these components require raw materials extracted in unregulated mines with poor environmental histories and worker's rights violations and armed conflict in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Researchers now fear that we may deplete these materials within the next 100 years. These resources are then shipped to far east Asia. Here, factories process these materials with limited environmental oversight and expose people and ecosystems to toxic chemicals and metals. They are then shipped worldwide at the expense of our oceans, air quality, and further the burning of fossil fuels. These environmental issues are compounded by the disturbing rise in electronic waste associated with our smartphone use.

In 2020, we globally produced 50 million metric tons of electronic waste, of which 10% were smartphones. Only 20% of the world's electronic waste is recycled, but smartphones have proved challenging to recycle because of the number of small parts and components. For example, researchers estimate that 7% of the world's gold is currently in landfills as eWaste. Much eWaste is exported to developing countries in Africa and Asia where they are dumped in unmonitored landfills. There, they leech toxic fumes, metals, and chemicals into the soil, groundwater, rivers, air, and local communities. This has led to ecological degradation as well as health issues such as congenital disabilities, cancer, and lead poisoning.

The average lifespan of a smartphone is 3 years. Extending this to 4 years could reduce emissions by 33%. Many companies develop and market phones to the public with planned obsolescence, making them less durable, so consumers need to replace their phones more often. Moreover, companies use marketing techniques to create societal pressure to own and upgrade to the newest smartphone. These environmental concerns have spurred The Right to Repair movement. It calls for smartphone manufacturers to make their phones more durable and more customizable to make it easier to replace parts instead of replacing the whole phone. Manufacturers have been reluctant to make these changes and have fought to maintain a monopoly on repairs, limiting accessibility. We have a long way to go to reach a sustainable smartphone market.

A trailblazer in this field is Fairphone, which makes repairable and upgradable phones with responsibly sourced materials. With a small screwdriver, most of the phone's components can be replaced and modified to reduce the need to purchase a new phone. They are considered the industry standard for the future of green smartphones. Another way we can reduce our impact when purchasing a phone is by purchasing refurbished phones instead of new phones, keeping components and materials in use for longer. Businesses are encouraged to follow in Fairphone’s footsteps and set the bar even higher for sustainable smartphone technology. New smartphones partnered with effective marketing techniques have trained us to want the latest smartphone that promises us the best storage, user experiences, camera, and appearance than ever before. This narrative needs to be used to convert consumers towards choosing a more sustainable option, which promises great features and a great impact that we can all get behind.

As smartphones continue to become a staple of modern life, these issues will push more and more to the forefront. It is the responsibility of producers to change their practices, and our responsibility as consumers and citizens to encourage our governments to push for new regulations and make eco-conscious decisions when buying new products.

Takeaways:

• Businesses should focus on setting the bar higher for sustainable smartphone technology.
• Marketing strategies should promote a new societal norm of reusing and repurposing.
• Smartphones should be made to be more durable and customizable to allow for updates and less wasteful manufacturing processes.
• Resources and emissions can be saved by promoting sustainable smartphone supply chains.

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