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SHORT NEWS

Unused mobile phones hold huge potential

#climate action #recycling #smartphones #sustainability #technology

The metal of discarded mobile phones in Germany is sufficient to cover the material demand for smartphones for the next ten years - purely mathematically.

an image of broken smartphones about to be recycled

This is the result of a study by the Institute of the German Economy in Cologne. According to the study, the total metal value of unused mobile phones in Germany is around 240 million euros.

In a theoretical calculation, the drawer mobile phones could cover the material requirements for new smartphones for more than 10 years, the report says.

Not all mobile phones are recyclable

However, the authors point out that the reality is different, "since not all drawer phones are recycled and are also completely recyclable".

The drawer phones belong to the so-called urban mine. This is the term used for raw material deposits found in products that are already in use. Britta Bookhagen of the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources qualifies: "It is very difficult to estimate which raw materials will come back to us, how and when."

For one thing, she says, it is neither clear how much steel or aluminium was used in a car or washing machine 50 years ago, nor how it can be recovered and processed in the most sensible way. What is needed here is better data.

Written by: sda

Photos: Pixabay/Wilfried Pohnke

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Sustainability is no longer a distant dream but a present and pressing reality. Climate change and environmental degradation are forcing companies to take action. They must innovate and implement smart sustainability solutions, says Carlos Sanchez, a renowned sustainability visionary who shared with us the latest sustainability trends that can help build robust, resilient, and sustainable businesses.
September 28th, 2023
Mechanics performing maintenance work on an aircraft

Researchers make non-recyclable plastic recyclable

Swiss researchers have developed a new type of recyclable plastic that could be used in aircraft, cars or wind turbines in the future.
October 2nd, 2023
Recycled asphalt was used on the Lucmanier Pass

More recycled asphalt on Swiss roads

Tests with recycled asphalt on Swiss roads show promising results. In Uster ZH and on the Lukmanier Pass GR, the proportion of recycled asphalt could be increased without any loss of performance, according to Empa.
October 16th, 2023
a photovoltaic system on a house facade

Sun soon to be the most important source of energy

The sun is likely to become the world's most important source of energy before 2050, according to British scientists. This is the result of an analysis of technological and economic data by the University of Exeter and University College London.
November 27th, 2023
A hospital room with two beds divided by a curtain

Germicidal textiles for hospitals

A new process developed by Swiss researchers makes textiles germicidal. In future, this could be used to coat curtains in hospitals.
December 25th, 2023
G.V. Shivashankar arbeitet am PSI und der ETH Zürich

Fountain of youth for cells

Reprogrammed cells allow wounds in older people to heal faster. This could, for example, help burn victims.
January 1st, 2024
A scientist taking a water sample with a bottle

Gentle identification of fish species through their DNA

Identifying fish species in a river using DNA traces: This method was tested in Switzerland. It proved to be simpler and more reliable than the electrofishing method used to date.
January 15th, 2024
pressed plastic bottles

Microplastics fly particularly far and high

Microplastic fibres fly higher and further than previously assumed - even as far as the Arctic.
January 22nd, 2024
A futuristic aircraft with a blended wing body

Aircraft of the future make less noise

In an Empa research project, study participants rated the noise of new types of aircraft as less annoying than the noise of today's aircraft.
April 9th, 2024
the airship flying over a coast

British company produces climate-friendly airship

According to its developers, the British airship Airlander 10 could take off for commercial flights with passengers from 2028.
April 22nd, 2024