The environmental benefit of refurbishing and reusing electronics is massive, and measurable. Take smartphones, for example: studies show that a refurbished phone can generate 80–90% fewer emissions compared to a brand-new one (GSMA, 2025).

That’s because most of the climate impact of a device happens during manufacturing, not use. By keeping a phone in circulation longer, you drastically cut down its carbon footprint.

And the impact gets even more impressive when you look at the big picture. A study by the European Environmental Bureau published in 2019 found that extending the lifespan of smartphones and other electronics in the EU by just one year would save as much carbon emissions as taking 2 million cars off the road each year (EEB, 2019). That’s a statistic worth thinking about every time we upgrade.

The world’s appetite for new electronics has a steep cost. In 2022, a record 62 million tonnes of electronic waste was generated globally, more than ever before (E-Waste Monitor, 2024).

When devices are discarded after only a few years, or worse, only a few months, we aren’t just throwing away plastic and metal. We’re throwing away the energy, water, and resources that went into making those devices, too.

Refurbishing slows that cycle. It keeps electronics in use longer, cuts down on unnecessary production, and buys us time to move toward truly circular ways of making and using tech.