The world generated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2022, the latest year measured by the UN's Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, and only 22.3% was formally collected and recycled. That figure is projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030 while the documented recycling rate slips toward 20%. Meanwhile, the extraction of rare earth metals, cobalt, and lithium needed for new devices keeps accelerating.
Buying refurbished is one of the most direct actions a consumer can take to interrupt that cycle. It keeps functional devices in use, reduces demand for virgin materials, and cuts carbon emissions at every stage of a product's life. The circular economy depends on exactly this kind of behavior: choosing reuse over disposal.
This article explains the environmental case for buying refurbished technology, with data on CO2 savings, e-waste reduction, energy efficiency, and what the refurbished market looks like today.
RefurbMe has tracked this reuse market since well before it went mainstream. Across every iPhone model it follows, a refurbished unit reappears on the market an average of about 82 days after Apple's original release (RefurbMe Time-to-Refurb, as of July 2026). That is direct evidence of the circular economy at work: functional devices re-enter circulation within months rather than sitting in a drawer or heading to a landfill.
What is the circular economy?
A circular economy is an economic model designed to eliminate waste by keeping products, components, and materials in use for as long as possible. It stands in contrast to the traditional linear model: make, use, discard.
In a circular model, a smartphone that would otherwise be scrapped is instead tested, repaired, and resold. The materials inside it, including gold, copper, lithium, and rare earth elements, do not end up in a landfill. The energy spent manufacturing it is not wasted.
Technology is one of the sectors where circular principles matter most, because electronics are resource-intensive to produce and short-lived in practice. Most users replace their smartphones approximately every two and a half years, as explored in our guide to how long a cell phone lasts. That short replacement cycle, multiplied across billions of devices, drives an enormous volume of waste.
New programs are emerging to address this. They include certified refurbishment networks, component-level repairability in newer devices, eco-smartphone initiatives, and the growing Right to Repair movement. Buying refurbished fits directly into this ecosystem and is one of the simplest steps any buyer can take.
CO2 emissions reduction: the numbers
Manufacturing a new smartphone generates roughly 70 kg of CO2-equivalent emissions, and around 80% of that footprint comes from production: mining raw materials, fabricating components, and assembling the final device. Only a small share comes from actually using the phone.
When you extend a device's life by buying a refurbished model, you avoid triggering that production footprint almost entirely. According to Green Alliance, using a mobile phone for one extra year cuts its lifetime CO2 impact by about a third. A lifecycle assessment by ADEME, the French environment agency, goes further: choosing a refurbished smartphone instead of a new one reduces its overall environmental impact by 77% to 91% depending on the indicator, and cuts its carbon footprint specifically by about 87%. The widely quoted "up to 91% lower" claim sits at the top of that ADEME range. In concrete terms, Back Market's ADEME-based lifecycle estimate puts a refurbished phone at roughly 7 kg of CO2-equivalent against about 85 kg for a new one over comparable use.
| Smartphone footprint | New device | Refurbished device |
|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle CO2-equivalent | ~85 kg | ~7 kg |
| Share of footprint from manufacturing | ~80% | largely avoided |
| Overall environmental impact vs new | baseline | 77% to 91% lower |
| Carbon footprint vs new | baseline | ~87% lower |
Sources: ADEME lifecycle assessment of reconditioned smartphones (2022, via labo.societenumerique.gouv.fr); Back Market ADEME-based lifecycle estimate. Figures are per-device and vary by model and usage.
Refurbishing reduces demand for natural and valuable resources across the production chain. When fewer new devices are manufactured, less mining occurs, fewer factories run at full capacity, and fewer components travel long distances by air and sea.
A refurbished smartphone or tablet looks new and performs at full specification. Certified technicians test and repair pre-owned models thoroughly, replacing batteries, screens, and any components that do not meet performance standards. This is why platforms like RefurbMe only list products that come with a warranty: it removes the quality uncertainty that concerns some buyers.
Check these iPhones in excellent condition compared on RefurbMe. They perform identically to brand-new models from the official Apple Store.
64GB storage
Black
64GB storage
White
Less electronic waste: a growing global problem
Raw materials are difficult and destructive to extract. Cobalt comes largely from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where mining conditions carry serious human and environmental costs. Lithium extraction in South America consumes vast quantities of fresh water in already water-stressed regions. When finished devices are discarded without recovery, all of those embedded costs are simply lost.
Global e-waste reached 62 million tonnes in 2022, the most recent year measured, and is rising about five times faster than documented recycling. On current trends it will hit 82 million tonnes by 2030. Europe's formal collection rate stands at about 43%, the highest of any region, yet it still leaves well over half of discarded electronics outside certified recycling streams. In the United States, the documented collection rate is far lower.
The problem compounds because electronics recycling is genuinely hard. Circuit boards contain dozens of materials in tiny quantities, and separating them requires specialized processes that are costly and energy-intensive. Even the best recycling facilities cannot recover all embedded value. Prevention, meaning extending device lifespans before they reach that stage, is more efficient.
When you choose a refurbished device, you actively reduce e-waste. You slow the manufacturing cycle, reduce the demand that drives new production, and keep a functional device out of a landfill for several more years. This is not a marginal benefit: it is the core mechanism through which the refurbished market supports circular economy goals.
Energy and fuel savings along the supply chain
Manufacturing electrical devices requires high energy consumption. Smelting aluminum, fabricating glass screens, producing lithium-ion cells, and running semiconductor fabrication plants are all energy-intensive processes. When global smartphone shipments run into the hundreds of millions of units per year, those processes add up to a significant share of industrial energy use.
Transportation adds another layer. Components for a single smartphone may cross dozens of borders before the final device reaches a retail shelf, traveling by ship, truck, and air freight. Air freight in particular is exceptionally carbon-intensive, by some logistics estimates up to roughly 50 times more so than ocean shipping per tonne-kilometer.
When you buy refurbished, the indirect costs are significantly lower. The device has already made that journey once. The resale supply chain is shorter: a certified refurbisher tests the device, performs any necessary repairs, and ships it directly to the buyer. Far fewer intermediaries, far fewer transport legs, and considerably less energy consumed.
This efficiency compounds the direct savings from avoided manufacturing. A refurbished device avoids both the production carbon cost and most of the logistics carbon cost, while delivering the same utility to the end user.
The refurbished market today
Market research puts the global refurbished and used smartphone market in the tens of billions of dollars in the mid-2020s, with most forecasts projecting high single-digit to low-teens annual growth through 2030. Consumer attitudes are shifting. Surveys consistently show that buyers increasingly prioritize value and sustainability, and refurbished devices now occupy a mainstream position in the market rather than a niche one.
Major platforms have responded. Back Market, Apple's own Certified Refurbished store, and Amazon Renewed all offer certified devices with warranties and return policies comparable to new product purchases. RefurbMe aggregates listings from these and other sellers in real time, so buyers can compare prices and conditions across the market in one place.
RefurbMe's own tracking shows how deep those savings can run. Across the full MacBook lineup it follows, a refurbished MacBook first appears an average of about 168 days after Apple's release, and the /stats/macbook page reports an average discount near 89% below the original launch price across every MacBook model tracked (RefurbMe Refurb Discount, as of July 2026). That family average spans many legacy models, so it runs deeper than the saving on the latest release: for a current model, a refurbished unit typically lands 20% to 50% below new. Either way, each of those purchases keeps a working device in circulation instead of the waste stream.
1.3Ghz Intel Dual-Core i5 4th gen
4GB memory • Silver
2013 release
1.6Ghz Intel Dual-Core i5 8th gen
8GB memory • Silver
with Touch Id • 2018 release
2.5Ghz Intel Dual-Core i5 3rd gen
4GB memory • Silver
2012 release
Understanding the differences between sellers matters. For a detailed comparison, see our guide to used vs. refurbished vs. new Apple devices. For a deeper look at the Apple program specifically, our article on Apple Certified Refurbished covers what the certification means and what protections it provides.
If you are weighing whether the quality holds up, our analysis of whether refurbished MacBooks are worth it covers the pros, cons, and real-world performance data in detail.
Summary: the circular economy case for refurbished tech
Buying refurbished technology delivers measurable environmental benefits at every stage of a product's life cycle:
- Environmental footprint: up to 91% lower across indicators, and about 87% lower carbon specifically (ADEME), mainly by avoiding the production footprint
- E-waste: extends device life by 2 to 4 years on average, reducing landfill contribution
- Raw materials: reduces demand for cobalt, lithium, rare earth elements, and other mined inputs
- Energy and transport: shorter supply chains mean lower fuel and electricity consumption per unit sold
- Cost: refurbished devices typically cost 20 to 50% less than their new equivalents
The circular economy is not an abstract concept. It is the practical outcome of millions of individual decisions to reuse rather than replace. Every refurbished purchase supports that outcome directly.
Visit RefurbMe to find the best refurbished Apple devices available across all major sellers, compared in real time.
2.5Ghz Intel Dual-Core i5 3rd gen
4GB memory • Silver
2012 release
1.6Ghz Intel Dual-Core i5 8th gen
8GB memory • Silver
with Touch Id • 2018 release
64GB storage
Space Gray
Last updated: Jul 16, 2026 · First published: Nov 9, 2023