There are 16 billion mobile phones today and one-third are no longer in operation, whilst only 20 percent are recycled. This means that the big junks of waste polluting the earth is electronic waste, moreso, from the mobile phone sector.
There has been a push for the mobile phone sector to embrace a circular economy for its sustainability. Circular Economy is important especially because mining new materials uses a huge amount of energy and has a major impact on the world’s carbon footprint. E-waste also has a massive impact. The four principles of a Circular economy are Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Recycle has been a major hurdle in the mobile phone sector.
But one company seems to be getting everything right in securing the world and getting rid of the waste that might arise as a result of its activities. This company is HMD Global. The company announced the launch of phones that had been made from recycled materials at a time the world is pushing for green and sustainability.
The giant phone company launched the Nokia X30 5G and Nokia G60 5G handsets that are made using recycled material. Designed in Finland and built from a 100 percent recycled aluminum frame and a 65 percent recycled plastic back, Nokia X30 5G is HMD’s most eco-friendly smartphone yet, right through to the box it comes in. Less plastic, fewer chemicals, more good stuff.
The reduced packaging size of the device – made possible by HMD’s decision to remove chargers from the X-series to tackle e-waste – saves on transportation CO2 emissions.
At the same time, unlike other manufacturers, HMD Global avoided the production of 777kg chargers since 2021. By removing the chargers from Nokia X10 and Nokia X20 phones, the company saved 777KG of chargers being manufactured. If consumers wanted a charger they could buy it online end and the company donated €10 to charity for every charger purchased. In 2022, 85 percent did not buy a charger.
“For many years, Nokia has been known for making durable devices, this is still the case today. 80 percent of the energy created by a mobile phone is used in the manufacturing process. Therefore it makes sense that the longer you keep your phones the better it is for the planet. To support this we have extended warranties, OS, and Security updates,” said HMD Global in their Sustainability Progress Report.
Efforts by HMD Global to secure the earth have been recognized by Ecovadis, the world’s largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. Ecovadis evaluates over 90,000 companies and in the last three years, HMD has moved from Silver to Gold to Platinum. This puts HMD Global in the top 1 percent of businesses.
“For HMD sustainability is not only part of our business but it is at the heart of our product design and the culture we live. That is why we not only set ourselves business targets but also detailed sustainability targets too. Our targets are divided into people, planet and underpinned by strong business ethics and robust governance,” said HMD Global.
