2023-05-03 14:26:48
Remanufactured electrical devices, so-called “refurbished” smartphones or laptops, have a significantly better ecological balance than new devices. This is shown by a study by the research company Fraunhofer Austria on behalf of the Internet marketplace refurbed. According to this, buying a refurbished mobile phone or laptop instead of the same new device saves up to 83 percent of the emissions. Water consumption is reduced by up to 91 percent.
Data on greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and electronic waste for the Apple iPhone 11, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, the Apple iPad Pro 4 2020, the Apple MacBook Air 2017 13.3 and the Lenovo Thinkpad T460 i5 were examined and compared, according to a broadcast on Wednesday out. The models were selected either because of high sales figures on the refurbed platform or because of the good availability of comparative data on the ecological impact.
According to Fraunhofer Austria, the production of a new Apple iPhone 11 causes around 57 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and CO2 equivalents). When refurbishing an iPhone 11, on the other hand, only around 2.8 kilograms of greenhouse gases would be emitted. The research company estimates the total footprint of the new device, including material production, transport and use by consumers, at 72 kilograms. The refurbished iPhone 11, on the other hand, has a total output of around 16 kilograms. The CO2 savings vary between the different product categories and are between 69 percent for the refurbished Lenovo Thinkpad T460 i5 and 83 percent for the Apple MacBook Air 2017.
When it comes to water consumption, refurbished devices perform significantly better than new devices. The production of a new iPhone consumes around 12,000 liters of water, and around 1,700 liters of water are required to recycle the same device. The water consumption is thus reduced by 86 percent. The new production of an Apple MacBook Air 2017 13.3 even requires around 57,000 liters of water, the general overhaul consumes around 5,400 liters by 91 percent less.
In addition, there is less electronic waste when buying a refurbished device. For example, buying a refurbished Samsung Galaxy S20 FE saves around 60 percent of electronic waste compared to a new device, and the savings potential for the Apple MacBook Air 2017 is around 80 percent.
“The special thing regarding these results is that we have carried out a comprehensive consideration of all effective areas – Scope 1, 2 and 3”, said study author Paul Rudorf from Fraunhofer Austria. The research company has thus “calculated a value that quantifies the real impact that a product has on our planet”.
“Nevertheless, such numbers should not be taken as a license to consume more carelessly,” said refurbed co-founder Peter Windischhofer and called for better political framework conditions for the repair and recycling of products. Refurbed was founded in Vienna in 2017 and sells refurbished electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets and laptops, as well as household appliances and sporting goods. The company is currently represented in seven countries, in addition to Austria and Germany also in Sweden and Italy.
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