Introduction

Did you know? As per the Indian Government, in 2022, there were 10,14,961.21 tonnes of e-waste generated in India only in 2019-20. Worse, only 22.7% of this e-waste has been recycled, dismantled, or disposed of correctly.

The impact of discarding e-waste is multifold. From an economic perspective, there is an annual loss of $47 billion or above due to the non-recovery of materials, including gold, silver, copper, platinum, and other high value materials. Environmentally, the damages are far worse as air, water, and soil are all impacted adversely.

Circular Economy to the rescue!

To solve this menace, the world is shifting towards a circular economy. Let us understand what it means. In a circular economy, resources and materials are reused and put back into the economy. This maximizes the useful life of the products and reduces environmental and economic losses.

In association with UNCTAD, Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that India could save $624 billion a year by 2050 if it adopts circular economy principles rather than following a conventional but more wasteful development path.

In India and globally, the focus has shifted to adopt circular economy principles. India’s e-waste management rules 2022, along with plastic waste management rules, and metal recycling policies, are poised to reduce e-waste.

By 2023, the Indian government plans to collect and recycle 60% of the e-waste produced by enterprises that manufacture electronic goods, reaching 70% by 2024 and 80% by 2025.

Relevance of mobile phones to the Circular Economy

It is no doubt that the telecom and smartphone revolution has made modern Indian rapidly switch their devices. An estimated 1.02 billion people in India currently use mobile phones and replace them within an average duration of 1 or 2 years. This prompt replacement of smartphones is a major contributor to E-waste and impacts our environment in several ways.

Each new smartphone leads to over 80 kg of carbon emission, use of 12,760 liters of water, and energy consumed in mining 75 pounds of ore.

The refurbishment of mobile phones is a wise option.

An average smartphone can easily last for 4-5 years; however, the replacement cycle for smartphones in India is just 18-24 months. These smartphones have yet to reach their end-of-life use and can be re-used if they are worked upon and made fit for a new customer experience. Most of the phones received require no work, and they are in great condition and fit to reach the end customer again. 

Hence, refurbishing phones is a perfect opportunity, where these phones are checked to ensure they meet standard quality parameters and are sold to consumers. So the consumers get a fully functional mobile phone at a reduced and affordable price. This also prolongs the lifespan of the phone and has a positive effect on the economy and environment.

Refurbished phones meet the latent demand for people who always wanted to buy their dream smartphones but could not afford them. Refurbished phones can be bought at upto 40% discounts, even more in a few cases.

There are many companies in India and globally offering Refurbished smartphones. One such company is Grest, an online and offline provider of refurbished phones.

Grest Phones have a reputation for being affordable and trustworthy. All the phones at Grest are high-quality, refurbished phones of brands such as Apple and Samsung at reasonable prices that might save consumers up to 40%. All the phones offered here have gone through 32 rigorous quality checks and have an additional six months warranty, after-sale services, affordable prices, and much more.