How Can My Business Contribute to the Circular Economy?

As the global population is growing at an exponential rate, and with the plethora of issues that this is causing, it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to switch to the circular economy from the linear economy. We will be outlining four easy ways that you can do this with your mobile phones, which will help you to transition towards more sustainable practices within your organisation while also getting money back in the process.

Why Is the Circular Economy Important?

A linear economy is one which uses raw materials in the manufacturing process for a product, and then any waste that the product produces is thrown away. For electronics, this can be detrimental. E-waste that gets left on various landfill sites around the world can contaminate air, soil and water if it is not responsibly recycled.

A circular economy differs as the whole model completely revolves around recycling. Unlike a reuse economy for instance, there is no non-recyclable waste which is generated at any point in the process. Everything that is produced gets returned to the economy, which is the most efficient and environmentally-friendly way of manufacturing a product.

1. Repair

There are many steps that you can take to prevent your device from getting thrown away. The first step towards a more circular model is to repair your device if it breaks, which is the best option if you only have one device that needs fixing. You can use our guide to consider your options on phone repairs to see where you can get your phone repaired.

Photo by K I L I A N on Unsplash

2. Refurbishment

If your device needs more than just a quick fix, then you can get it refurbished. Like a repair, this will prevent your device from getting dumped on a landfill site unnecessarily as it will be sold on to another user. Our Sell My Phone page allows you to send your device away for a refurbishment even if it is completely broken. All you need to do is categorise the condition of your device as working, broken or new then send it to a recycling company.

3. Business Recycling

If you are a business with multiple phones to sell, take a look at our Business Phone Recycling page. This tool makes it easy for businesses to recycle decommissioned devices in bulk. We partner with a variety of mobile phone recycling companies that can responsibly recycle a bulk order of devices. The recyclers that we work with will clean your devices of all their data so you can rest assured that the process is secure. Simply send us your contact details and tell us which devices you have, then we will gather quotes and send your phones via courier. You can also download our template so that you can fill in your devices' details accurately for a faster turnaround.

4. Buying Refurbished Phones

Depending on the security policy of your business, your organisation could buy refurbished devices for its employees as an alternative to brand-new handsets. Refurbished devices are cost effective, quality assured and tested and reset to factory settings so they look and function like new handsets. They are also good for the environment and help to keep working devices in circulation. Take a look at our Refurbished Phones Explained guide to see your options.