Buy the Best Sustainable Smartphones in 2024 and Do Earth a Favour

Out of 7 billion people, 5 billion have their own smartphones and this number is only increasing. This is a fact but another fact is climate change. We must realise if we are contributing to global warming then we can bring changes in our lifestyle, such as using sustainable smartphones. This blog will discuss the environmental impacts of our smartphones, what is carbon footprint and how some ethical and sustainable smartphones contribute to the planet earth in a positive way.

Environmental impact of smartphones

Creating a smartphone is not a simple process because it comes with a lot of consequences that we never think about. There are many ways in which the manufacture of phones impacts the planet and people. Here we are discussing a few of them.

Mining of rare earth materials

The basic issue of smartphones is the supply chain. For the making of phones, rare earth metals are used including gold, silver, lithium and platinum. All these materials are mined from the earth and used in creating a device for human use. That is what makes mobile phones one of the most resource-intensive devices as mining of such expensive materials from the earth uses up a lot of fuel and results in the release of a high amount of carbon into the atmosphere.

Human rights issues

Human rights violation is also an issue related to the poor working conditions of miners in developing countries. Problems such as child labour are rising and the ill practices make the whole procedure even more problematic. The wages of mining workers are way too low and it’s nowhere near the minimum wage in developed countries. Because of the ethical issues related to the manufacturing of phones, we must always be looking for sustainable smartphones for a better planet.

Manufacture procedures

After mining for the raw materials, the manufacturing process is also high in carbon emissions and uses up a lot of energy, fuel and labour. Most of the electronic devices and mobile phones are manufactured in coal-producing countries like China and using this fuel material means releasing even more carbon into the environment. Such emissions contribute to global warming and climate change, and these human activities are one of the reasons why the temperature of planet earth is up by 2 centigrade.

Throwing away old phones in landfills

Everyone is looking for the latest smartphone with the best features, sleek body and higher quality, this leads to the production of far more phones than required. Even if someone has a fully functional phone, they will like to replace it with the latest one and throw the existing one away. Mobile companies are using the tactic of producing less durable and less repairable phones to promote more sales and it is just not favouring our planet in any way. Tonnes of e-wasteare produced every year but unfortunately, only 16% is recycled. Sending such phones for recycling can be a sustainability effort that you can be proud of.

Carbon footprint

At the time of production of a smartphone that is not necessarily a sustainable smartphone, around 80% of the carbon footprint occurs because of the energy-consuming steps of mining and manufacturing. Each mobile phone produces around 55 kg of carbon emissions and it all adds up to around 82.5 billion kg of carbon. The higher the carbon footprint of a phone is, the more it deviates from the sustainability standards.

Greenhouse gas emission of non-sustainable smartphones

Here is a graph that shows the ratio of gas emission at different stages of a smartphone lifecycle and most of it is released at the time of production. Only 1% is released at the time of recycling but this 1% will save up 80% of gas emissions for the production of new devices. So, if we promote recycled electronics, it can be favourable for planet earth. You must get electronic and mobile phone recycling services for a green future with environmentally sustainable smartphones.

List of the best sustainable smartphones

Our planet is beautiful but we only have one and that is why our choices of lifestyle matter. One such choice is your phone and some are created to be more sustainable and reusable with easy repair than others and we must understand it before purchasing our new smartphone.

Here is a list of some of the most sustainable and eco-friendly phones that you should consider when buying your next smart device.

iPhone 13 Pro

Each time Apple releases a new phone, it incorporates more green practices and if we look at the available models, iPhone 13 Pro is the greenest and the most sustainable smartphone. It is made up of 99% recycled tungsten and 98% of the other rare earth elements are recycled from old phones. While buying such a phone, we can have the peace of mind that our purchase is not harmful to the planet.

The packaging is also responsible, and the best part is that Apple will trade off your old phone to give it a new life cycle and the company is committed to completely converting its manufacturing towards renewable energy by 2030. The only downside of this phone is that it is too expensive.

Google Pixel 5

This is a relatively sustainable phone that can be repaired by yourself at home and the majority of its components are easily replaceable. It doesn’t come with any screws and the screen adhesive is also easy to remove to make repairs easier and faster. The eco-friendly Google Pixel phone comes with all the features one can look for in a smartphone including an OLED display and 12.2 mp camera for high-quality pictures. Google Pixel 5 is definitely one of the most sustainable smartphones you can find in 2024 because the easy repair allows you to reuse old phones.

Samsung Galaxy S22 series

The Samsung Galaxy S22 series has eco-conscious and sustainable phones for users in 2024 and there are many reasons why. 20% of its plastic comes from recycled ocean plastic obtained from used fishing nets that are negatively impacting the oceans and marine life. The speaker module has recycled material collected from old phones and also the inner parts of the volume and power keys are recycled. Samsung claims that the packaging is also made from 100% recycled paper and by 2025, Samsung’s Galaxy for the Planet mission is expected to produce zero waste for landfills.

Fairphone 4

If you are looking for the most repairable phone on the planet, this one right here is the one for you. The certification from Blue Angel and B Corp proves it to be one of the sustainable smartphones. It has a GD+ display, 5G speed and ultra-wide lens in a dual camera. The only problem associated with this sustainable smartphone is its availability as it’s only available in Europe. This phone provides you with the ability to reuse old phones and save the planet from the carbon footprint for the production of new phones. You can easily repair the Fairphone 4 by yourself so it saves you money and makes the environment cleaner.

Teracube 2E

This sustainable phone is specially engineered to last for more than two years and 25% of polycarbonate used in its manufacture is recycled. An organisation called One Tree Planted has partnered up with Teracube and each time you purchase a mobile phone, a tree is planted, providing more greenery, oxygen and a better environment. It has a 6.1-inch HD + display and the best part is that you can repair your phone by yourself, which makes it more cost-effective, sustainable and eco-friendly.

Why should we choose an eco-friendly sustainable phone?

Sustainable and ethical smartphones are the need of time because the future brings many crises for us and climate change is one of them. It is the duty of every citizen to play their part and make an effort to reduce their share of pollution on the planet. Choosing to get a sustainable phone is one such practice and it will help you keep the environment clean and green. All the old phones that are sitting around at your home must go for electronics recycling so that the environmental impact of mobile production is reduced.

Choose sustainability for your coming generations!