Act now: 211 million old smartphones are waiting for a new life!

Act now: 211 million old smartphones are waiting for a new life!

Burgenland, Österreich - More and more European households hoard unused smartphones, while valuable raw materials are stored in the devices. As a study shows, there are around 642 million old devices in Europe, of which around 211 million are in a state that allows reprocessing, reports . In Germany, around 119 million discarded smartphones are unused in the drawers, while around 40 million of them are suitable to become refurbished.

A significant problem is that 82 percent of EU citizens now have at least one smartphone that is used on average less than three years. In 2023, around 113 million new smartphones were also sold in the EU. The study, commissioned by Refurbed and carried out by Fraunhofer Austria, not only illustrates the raw material deposits in these devices, but also shows that a longer useful life could reduce the need for new devices by up to 38 percent.

valuable raw materials and environmental aspects

The unused smartphones contain significant raw materials, the metallic value of which is estimated at around 1.6 billion euros. With a reprocessing, no new smartphones in the EU could be necessary for two years alone. This could eliminate the dependence on critical raw material imports for up to three years if a combination of longer use and refurbish is used, as ORF Burgenland reports.

From 640 million old devices, over 41,000 tons of valuable metals could be recovered, including rare earths, tin, tungsten and gold. For example, around 8,916 tons of cobalt and 18 tons of gold can be found in the unused smartphones. A well-planned recycling process can therefore contribute to the raw material protection and climate protection by could save up to 24 million tons of CO₂ equivalent in the next three years.

The challenges of the smartphone recycling

Although the potential for recycling is enormous, Europe is faced with challenges. The response rate for old electrical appliances in Germany is only around 39 percent, although the EU prescribes a collection rate of 65 percent. The consumer advice centers indicate that old electrical appliances should not be disposed of in household waste, but must be brought to collecting points. A proper return of old devices is prescribed by law, and the dealers are obliged to assume them, according to the information from The recycling process itself is crucial, not only to regain valuable metals, but also to avoid negative effects of the mining. Professional recycling could contain the shortage of raw materials and protect the environment. It is estimated that about 95 percent of copper, silver, palladium and gold can be effectively recycled, while recovery is often not profitable due to the small amounts in devices.