Roughly four in ten people globally owned a smartphone in 2018 and that number continues to grow rapidly. This growth is driven by steady sales of the devices – more than 1 billion each year – putting hand-sized computers in people’s pockets.
It is difficult to overstate the impact smartphones have had on human behaviour: they are part of a digital transformation which has revolutionized communications, financial inclusion, and agricultural productivity, to name but a few examples. But as smartphone sales have skyrocketed, so has the device’s contribution to waste streams and carbon emissions.
Smartphones have the potential to power economies and improve lives without damaging the earth – but only if we reconsider their lifecycles and think beyond recycling.
Recent Comments