The smartphone as an everyday object whose hidden costs we rarely see
The smartphone has become one of the most common everyday objects. We use it for work, staying in touch with loved ones, learning, entertainment and organizing our daily lives. Yet we rarely consider how long and environmentally costly the journey of this small device is before it ends up in our pocket.
Although a smartphone is small and lightweight, its production involves enormous consumption of natural resources, energy and water. Most of the environmental impact of a device occurs before we even buy it. This means that the decision to replace a phone has far greater consequences than it might initially seem.
Extraction of essential raw materials
Smartphone production begins in mines. Dozens of different raw materials are required to manufacture a single device, including copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, gold and rare earth elements. The extraction of these materials often takes place in regions with weak environmental and social regulations, where workers, including children, receive minimal wages and work in extremely poor conditions.
Open-pit mining leads to landscape degradation, soil and water pollution and the loss of biodiversity. Lithium and cobalt extraction is also associated with massive water consumption, which in many parts of the world exacerbates local water scarcity. These are costs that the end user rarely sees.
Production and transport. Energy use, emissions and global supply chains
Once raw materials are extracted, components are manufactured and devices assembled. Factories consume large amounts of energy, often generated from fossil fuels, and each stage of the process produces greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that 70 to 85 percent of a smartphone’s total carbon footprint is created during the production and assembly phase.
Manufacturing a single phone generates on average between 60 and 95 kilograms of CO₂ equivalent. This is comparable to driving a passenger car several hundred kilometers. With global sales exceeding one billion devices per year, this results in tens of millions of tonnes of emissions.
The electronics supply chain is exceptionally long and fragmented. Raw materials extracted in Africa, South America or Australia are transported to factories in Asia, where components are produced and devices assembled, and then shipped to Europe and North America. The total distance travelled by a single phone can reach tens of thousands of kilometers before it reaches the user.
Short product lifespans and design for replacement
Although smartphones could technically function much longer, in practice most are replaced after two or three years. This is not only due to failures, but also to manufacturers’ design decisions. Many devices are designed in a way that makes repair difficult, expensive or simply unprofitable.
Batteries are often permanently glued in, access to spare parts is limited, and service documentation is unavailable to independent repair shops. In addition, software update support ends after a few years, even though the hardware still works. As a result, users feel that their phone has “aged,” even though it could technically be used much longer. Short product lifespans thus become part of a business model rather than a technological necessity.
Electronic waste as a growing problem
Used smartphones contribute to the rapidly growing stream of electronic waste, which is one of the fastest-growing waste categories worldwide. A large share of phones never reaches recycling systems but instead sits in drawers for years or is thrown into regular trash bins.
Smartphones contain valuable metals that could be recovered and reused. The lack of proper recycling leads to further raw material extraction and an increase in toxic waste. Electronic waste is not a future issue. It is a problem that already places a heavy burden on the environment and waste management systems.
What can we do as users?
Although individual users have no influence over global supply chains, everyday consumer choices do matter. The simplest and most effective action is to extend the lifespan of devices and reduce the frequency of replacements.
Examples of actions that genuinely reduce the environmental impact of smartphones include:
extending the use of a phone by one or two additional years
repairing a device instead of replacing it, especially the battery or screen
regularly updating software
avoiding impulsive purchases of new devices
buying second-hand or refurbished phones
choosing manufacturers that offer longer software support
returning used devices to designated e-waste collection points
Each of these decisions reduces pressure on raw material extraction, manufacturing and landfills.
Warranty, consumer rights and European Union regulations
In response to the shortening lifespan of electronics, the idea of the right to repair is gaining increasing importance. It assumes access to spare parts, technical documentation and the ability to use independent repair services.
In the European Union, regulations are being introduced to facilitate repairs and extend the lifespan of devices. These include requirements regarding spare part availability, easier battery replacement and greater transparency about product repairability. The right to repair is not only a consumer issue, but also one of the most effective tools for reducing electronic waste.
In the European Union, a minimum two-year warranty on electronic devices is mandatory, and further regulations aim to strengthen consumer protection. Increasingly, there is discussion about extending support periods, mandatory spare part availability and clearer information about product durability before purchase.
For users, this means greater opportunities to seek repair instead of replacement and to make more informed purchasing decisions. In the long term, such regulations help reduce electronic waste and lessen pressure on the natural environment.
The real price that is not shown on the label
The price of a smartphone does not end at the store checkout. It includes environmental degradation, resource consumption, emissions and growing amounts of waste. The faster we replace our devices, the higher this cost becomes.
Conscious consumer choices will not solve the problem entirely, but they can significantly reduce its scale. Every phone used for a longer time means less pressure on mines, factories and landfills and a step toward more responsible use of technology.
Additionally, we encourage involvement in local pro-environmental initiatives that visibly improve the space around us. As the One More Tree Foundation, we organize tree planting, flower meadow creation, clean-ups of green areas and many other activities. Click and find out how you can get involved today.
