More than 1.2 billion smartphones sold globally in 2024 contributed over 60 million tonnes of carbon emissions from manufacturing alone, according to a new report by the GSM Association (GSMA). The telecom industry body says urgent action is needed to improve the circularity of mobile devices to curb environmental damage.
In its Mobile Net Zero 2025 State of the Industry on Climate Action report, GSMA outlined that 70–90% of a smartphone’s life cycle emissions come from materials and manufacturing — with longer-lasting, refurbished, and recyclable phones offering the most significant route to emissions reduction.
“If we increase the average smartphone lifespan from three to five years, it reduces the yearly carbon footprint of that device by roughly 30%, even with a battery swap,” the report noted. Refurbishing instead of producing a new phone cuts the environmental impact by up to 90%, it added.
GSMA also highlighted the growing stockpile of unused phones. “There are an estimated 10 billion dormant phones lying idle in homes around the world,” the report revealed — many of them packed with valuable raw materials, including 100,000 tonnes of copper, seven million ounces of gold, and one million ounces of palladium — with a combined value estimated at $20 billion.
Despite growing awareness, most consumers still do not recycle their devices. While nearly a third keep their old phones as backups, only 20% trade them in or sell them, and 75% of users have at least one unused handset at home.
To tackle this, 16 leading mobile network operators have now pledged to industry targets for phone take-back schemes and zero-waste initiatives. These were first announced in June 2023 and aim to scale the reuse, repair, and recycling of phones globally.
The report calls on manufacturers and policymakers to accelerate support for longer device lifespans, better recycling infrastructure, and more sustainable production practices to meet Net Zero goals.
