Market to obtain more 'circular' devices and services that exceed $ 150 billion by 2027 As consumer attitudes evolve towards mobile renewal and repair
February 26, 2025, London: The attitudes of consumers that change quickly towards repair and reuse of mobile phones are promoting a rapid growth market for 'circular' devices and services that could exceed $ 150 billion by 2027, according to a new report published today by The GSMA, which represents mobile operators worldwide worldwide. .
As technology leaders prepare to meet for the MWC25 Barcelona, the world's largest and most influential connectivity event, GSMA ''Rethink mobile phones: the Commercial case for circularity' The report that surveyed more than 10,000 mobile phone users in 26 countries worldwide, shows that the evolution of consumers' attitudes, regulatory changes and growing impacts of electronic waste converge to challenge the linear business model Traditional mobile phones industry.
With more than 70% of consumers surveyed worldwide who say they would be prepared to spend more for ecological phones, the report highlights the growing opportunity for the mobile industry to adopt circularity, not simply for positive environmental reasons, but also commercial benefits .
Within the report, a survey of 31 operators around the world highlights how they are adopting circular business models. 90% of the operators surveyed already operate at least one circular business model, with the renewal and management of electronic waste as the most popular. However, respondents recognized great potential to expand even more; 80% with renewal programs thought it could be done 'much more'. This could include the development of proposals for lease, renewal and update to take advantage of the new sources of income, increase customer loyalty and provide quality guarantee.
Steven Moore, Chief of Climate Action, GSMA, saying: The demand for rapid growth consumption of green and restored phones, as well as repair services, is a fantastic business opportunity for the mobile industry. Unlocking this requires strong collaboration in the value chain, helped by allowing governments' policies and incentives, gathering manufacturers, mobile operators, restaurants, reparators and recyclers to address key barriers to unlock new sources of income and commercial models to the test Future “.
Consumers want more durable and sustainable devices
Sales of new mobiles have slowed in recent years, with consumers by their side to the devices for a year more than a decade, and many resort to the rapid growth market for used and restored phones. This change reflects the growing interest of the consumer on restored phones as a way of saving money, obtaining an upper end device and minimizing environmental impacts.
85%of consumers worldwide consider that sustainability is important when buying a device, exceeding other criteria, such as device aesthetics (73%) and AI capacities (67%). One in six phones sold in France last year was renewed, while more than half of the indian consumers surveyed would probably consider renewed for their next telephone purchase. Two thirds of consumers surveyed worldwide reported that they needed to repair their current or previous phone.
Commercial benefits of circularity
The report shows that circularity is no longer just an environmental imperative, it is a great business opportunity. The growing market for restored devices and repair services, projected to exceed $ 150 billion worldwide by 2027, offers new sources of income for both manufacturers and operators. Making lasting and repairable devices fosters the satisfaction and loyalty of the client, strengthens the image of the brand and resonates with the conscious environmental consumers and investors.
Beyond financial gains, circularity strengthens local economies, reduces mining and import dependence, expands digital access and creates new economic work opportunities. The potential is not limited to the phones themselves; The GSMA recently developed an online market for mobile operators to resell and reuse the network equipment, which is now being used by more than 40 operators, delivering financial and carbon savings for the industry.
With the average user of mobile phones that has more than one old telephone without using at home, the report estimates that there are about 5-10 billion inactive devices worldwide, containing 100,000 tons of copper, 7 million ounces of gold and a million ounces of paladium- it is worth around $ 20 billion. Given the growing strategic importance of critical minerals, old phones and electronics are becoming an important source of materials in many countries.
Address electronic waste and emissions
In 2024, more than 1.2 billion new smartphones were sold, generating more than 60 million tons (MT) of CO2 Manufacturing emissions: equivalent to annual carbon production from countries such as Morocco or Romania. According to the UN, E-Waste generates annual external costs of $ 78 billion for both people and the environment. The repair and renewal of mobile devices can reduce electronic waste and reduce emissions, with 80-90% lower carbon emissions than the manufacture of new devices.
Mobile operators who already seek circularity strategies include Telefónica, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Kddi, while Samsung, Apple and Fairphone are among the manufacturers of devices that eclipse their supply chains and the ecological design of their devices.
The report also indicates that governments around the world are increasing more policies to promote circularity. For example, the new regulations of the European Union on the ecological design requirements related to repair and reuse, durability and recycling will enter into force at the end of this year. Emerging policies and strategies in the United States of America, Canada, Brazil and India are also promoting reparation and reuse, reinforcing a vision of long -term sustainability focused on circularity.
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About GSMA
GSMA is a global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and offer fundamental innovation to positive business environments and social change. Our vision is to unlock all the power of connectivity so that people, industry and society prosper. Representing mobile operators and organizations throughout the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA offers its members in three broad pillars: connectivity for good, services and solutions of the industry, and scope. This activity includes the progress policy, addressing today's greatest social challenges, propping up the technology and interoperability that make mobile work and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem in the series of MWC and M360 events .
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