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Do you know about Urban Mining?

News
News

March 22nd, 2023 - 9:30am

18 March was Global Recycling Day. However, thousands of phones are still sleeping in our drawers in Luxembourg. It is estimated that 2 out of 3 are still in good condition and can be brought back to Orange shops. Here, they can be repaired or reconditioned thanks to the RE program, thus avoiding the emission of up to 45 kg of CO2. But what about the other phones ?

RE for Resource Recycling

As we know, the manufacture of a smartphone requires no less than 70kg of around 60 different rare materials, which correspond to 600 times the weight of a smartphone on average. Although they are mainly made of plastic, copper, glass, iron and its derivatives, our smartphones also contain rare raw materials such as gold, tantalum, and terbium. Yet, these resources are difficult to access: it takes a ton of gold ore to extract just 5 grams of gold! These materials are also increasingly rare. It is estimated that 90% of cobalt and copper resources will be used by 2050.

To meet a demand that remains high, a new method of extraction based on the principle of the circular economy has emerged: Urban Mining. The idea behind this expression is to use the deposits of rare or precious metals contained in the objects that fill our daily lives. Thanks to this, our old smartphones turn to become a source of reusable raw materials. Indeed, certain materials such as gold can be recovered very easily from collected phones that can no longer be reconditioned. Using the raw materials contained in our phones saves hundreds of tons of CO2 equivalent and thousands of litres of water compared to conventional mining. In addition to the environmental benefits, this method also limits the negative socio-geopolitical impacts of the mining industry.

Nothing lasts forever ...
Nothing lasts forever ...

... and if your phones can no longer be repaired or reconditioned, they can be recycled up to 80%. So much material that can then be reused in the circular economy loop to make new products!

8348 phones have already been collected in Orange shops in Luxembourg. Continuing on this path and bringing back our old phones to our shops with the RE programme is therefore a small gesture that everyone can make: good for the environment, but also for your wallet with Orange Reprise.


- Rédigé par Chloé, experte RSE d'Orange Luxembourg