Mobile phones have been on the market for 40 years, devices that are still being purchased every year. According to Radicati Group, the number of mobile devices exceeded 15 billion by the end of 2022 and is expected to reach 18 billion by the end of 2025. It is estimated that the number users of smartphones in the world will exceed 6.8 billion this year. It’s hard to think of anyone who doesn’t own one of these devices and many of the users purchase a new one from time to time. How many unused mobile phones are there in the world?

GSMA, an organization of mobile operators, revealed that there are more than 5,000 million mobile devices in disuse. This number of phones could go around the planet about 17 times if they were placed one behind the other. That’s why a group of 12 major mobile operators around the world has committed to a new set of goals to create a more circular mobile phone economy.

According to GSMA calculations, by collecting all these cell phones, 50,000 tons of copper, 500 tons of silver and 100 tons of gold could be extracted. It might even be possible to get enough cobalt to produce ten million electric vehicles.

The objectives aim to increase recovering used mobile phones and ensuring they are not sent to landfills. Operators commit to collect at least 20% of used mobile devices through their take-back programs by 2030 and ensure that 100% of those devices are repaired, reused or recycled.

The approaches are based on the GSMA Strategic Document for the Circular Economy: Mobile Devices, which outlines a vision of the future in which mobile phones have the longest possible lifespan.

The operators included in this plan are BT Group, Globe Telecom, GO Malta, Iliad, KDDI, NOS, Orange, Proximus, Safaricom, Singtel, Tele2 and Telefonica.

“Together with existing commitments, this new set of goals aims to extend the life of existing dormant mobile devices and give them a second lease of life through refurbishment and reuse. By ensuring that recovered phones are not sent to landfills or incineration, old and broken phones can be recycled responsibly to recover critical minerals that can be reused in new smartphones, reducing the environmental impact of mining.