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Pair comparison

Used vs. new smartphone (per year)

One year of use

Buying a used phone distributes the manufacturing environmental burden across more users. Manufacturing is a phone's biggest environmental impact.

Dimension-by-dimension comparison

One year of use — absolute values

Both items scaled to the same unit (one year of use). Lower value = lower environmental impact.

Dimension Used new smartphone (per year) Difference Lower
Carbon Emissions 3.5 kg CO₂e 23.0 kg CO₂e −19.5 ← item 1
Water Consumption 25.0 liters 4000.0 liters −3975.0 ← item 1
Land Use 0.0 m²·year 0.3 m²·year −0.3 ← item 1
Waste 0.02 kg 0.06 kg −0.04 ← item 1
Toxicity 1.5 µDALY 10.0 µDALY −8.5 ← item 1

Visual comparison

Carbon Emissions
Used
3.5
new smartphone …
23.0
Water Consumption
Used
25.0
new smartphone …
4000.0
Land Use
Used
0.0
new smartphone …
0.3
Waste
Used
0.02
new smartphone …
0.06
Toxicity
Used
1.5
new smartphone …
10.0

Where do the numbers come from?

Click an item to see the detailed calculation, sources, and confidence rating.

Used/refurbished smartphone (per year of use)

View calculation and sources →

New smartphone (per year of 3-year lifecycle)

View calculation and sources →