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Consumption

Used/refurbished smartphone (per year of use)

Käytetty/kunnostettu älypuhelin (per käyttövuosi)

13.2
Truecost score
Data confidence: MEDIUM

Carbon well-supported by ADEME 2022 study. Water and toxicity less documented for refurbishment specifically.

A used/refurbished smartphone produces ~3.5 kg CO₂e per year of use — 91% less than buying new. The refurbishment process emits only ~15 kg CO₂e vs ~60 kg for manufacturing.

Did you know? Buying refurbished instead of new saves more CO₂ than skipping showers for three months. 80% of a phone's emissions happen before you even open the box.
Transparent calculation

How was this number determined?

The Truecost score is calculated from absolute physical values. Each row below shows the measured value, how it was normalized, and where it comes from.

Dimension Absolute value Score 100 = Normalized Weight Weighted Confidence
Carbon Emissions 3.5 kg CO₂e 9.5 kg CO₂e 36.84 ×0.35 12.89 HIGH
Water Consumption 25.0 liters 3840 liters 0.65 ×0.2 0.13 LOW
Land Use 0.0 m²·year 51 m²·year 0.0 ×0.2 0.00 HIGH
Waste 0.02 kg 5 kg 0.4 ×0.15 0.06 MEDIUM
Toxicity 1.5 µDALY 162 µDALY 0.93 ×0.1 0.09 LOW
Truecost score (weighted sum) 13.2

Share of your annual planetary budget

Carbon Emissions 0.37%
Water Consumption <0.01%
Waste <0.01%
Toxicity <0.01%
Source data by dimension

Where do the absolute values come from?

Carbon Emissions
HIGH
ADEME (2022): refurbished phone emits 7.1 kg CO₂e over 2-year period. Per year: 7.1 / 2 = 3.55 kg CO₂e. Includes refurbishment process (~15 kg CO₂e amortized), transport, and annual use-phase electricity (~3 kWh/year ≈ 1.5 kg CO₂e). Compared to new phone: 85.2 kg CO₂e over 2 years = 42.6 kg/year.
  • ADEME (2022): Evaluation de l'impact environnemental d'un ensemble de produits reconditionnés — French Agency for Ecological Transition
  • Cordella et al. (2021): Reducing the carbon footprint of ICT products — Journal of Industrial Ecology

91% less CO₂ than buying new. Refurbishment carbon cost depends on parts replaced (screen and battery are highest). Use-phase is ~1-2 kWh/year charging.

Water Consumption
LOW
Refurbishment process (cleaning, testing, repackaging) uses ~50 L. Amortized over 2-year use: 50 / 2 = 25 L/year. Much less than new phone manufacturing (~12,000 L total).
  • ADEME (2022): Environmental assessment of refurbished products

Water data for refurbishment poorly documented. Order-of-magnitude estimate.

Land Use
HIGH
No significant additional land use for refurbished device

Negligible. No mining of new materials.

Waste
MEDIUM
Extends device life by 2-3 years, delaying e-waste. Device weight ~175g. If extends life by 2 years: avoided waste = 175g / 2 = 87g/year avoided. Packaging waste from refurbishment: ~20g/year.
  • UN Global E-waste Monitor (2024): Electronic waste statistics

Main waste benefit is avoided e-waste from not buying new.

Toxicity
LOW
Reduced mining of lithium, cobalt, rare earths. No new battery production (if original battery reused). Estimated ~1.5 µDALY/year vs ~10 µDALY/year for new phone.
  • Wäger et al. (2011): Environmental and health impacts of e-waste — Environmental Impact Assessment Review

Main toxicity benefit is avoided mining. Battery replacement during refurbishment adds some toxicity.

Comparisons

Methodology

Based on ADEME (2022) comprehensive LCA of refurbished electronics. Emissions from refurbishment process amortized over 2-year use period plus annual charging.

Sources