How mobile phones affect the environment

When we think about the causes of climate change, we tend to picture huge power plants and mega-factories, passenger jets pumping carbon into the atmosphere, giant mining equipment tearing into hillsides and 40-mile traffic jams every time we go through Birmingham. The smartphone in your pocket is little, so it gets off the hook.

However, nearly everyone has a mobile phone and they’re a big part of our lives. In 2023, there were 6.93 billion mobiles in use and, according to industry forecasts, there will be 7.52 billion by 2026. Although a smartphone only weighs around 200g, manufacturing it has a carbon footprint of 80kg. If forecasts are correct, 1.2 billion will ship in 2024, equating to 960 million tonnes C02e.

The impact of smartphone manufacturing

The production of a mobile phone accounts for about 80% of its carbon impact throughout its lifecycle. Its components require aluminium, cobalt, copper, gold, palladium, platinum, silver, tantalum, tin and tungsten – and let’s not forget the lithium in its battery. Mining these materials burns huge quantities of fossil fuels, damages ecosystems, displaces people and wildlife and causes soil and water pollution.

Then there’s the manufacturing and assembly of its components, carried out in large factories – often in China or Vietnam, where coal is the main source of energy. A smartphone rolls off the production line as one of the most resource-intensive products there is and manufacturers aren’t particularly transparent about sustainability, so their impact remains largely hidden.

The smarter, faster, slimmer culture

Let’s make no bones about it, the smartphone industry is driven by profit. New models are frequently introduced with mammoth marketing efforts promoting a smarter, faster, slimmer culture. Tech brands and the biggest mobile operators work in tandem, driving upgrades. You’ve probably had all the the emails, texts and nuisance calls to prove it.

But when you think about it, the features don’t change that much from one version to the next. Buying a new mobile every cycle isn’t just expensive, it’s costly for the environment.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

As a SIM-only mobile operator, we encourage all our customers to use their current phones for as long as possible. Extending the working life of your smartphone automatically reduces demand for raw materials and energy.

When you do need a new device, we recommend getting a refurbished and/or pre-owned model rather than buying new. It’ll save money and chances are you’ll get all the features you need without bringing another new device into the world.

Most mobiles aren’t designed for easy repair, even though manufacturers know cracked screens and worn-out batteries are the most common complaints. Fortunately, plenty of repair services are now available so if yours is damaged or needs a new battery, why not have it fixed instead of replacing it?

When your phone really is too old to use, we encourage you to recycle it so that the materials inside it can go to good use rather than to landfill. For more information, see our article on choosing a more ethical mobile phone.

Our green mobile network

Daily use of your mobile phone also has an impact on the environment – accounting for about 16% of its lifetime carbon footprint. Different sources quote different figures, but on average mobile phone use generates 40 to 80kg CO2e every year. Charging uses a small amount of energy, but a great deal more is used to power the masts, servers and data centres that form the network.

At Ecotalk, our business operation is powered by green energy from the wind and sun, supplied by our sister company, Ecotricity. We audit everything we do and all the energy we consume including electricity, gas, water and vehicles for travel, always aiming to run a more sustainable business. We’ve been carbon neutral since 2022.

Protecting nature

By joining Ecotalk, you can reduce the impact your mobile phone has on the environment and money from your monthly bill will be used to help protect nature in Britain through our projects – planting native trees, rewilding the countryside and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. Click here to find out more about our mission to bring back Britain’s lost rainforests.

Also see How smartphones are contributing to climate change at Infomineo, or The hidden environmental impact of our smartphones at Tier1.