What is the environmental impact of buying refurbished?
Buying a refurbished Apple product significantly reduces environmental impact compared to buying new. It extends the useful life of an existing device, which avoids the carbon emissions, raw material extraction, and e-waste associated with manufacturing a new one. According to Apple's own environmental reports, about 80% of a product's lifetime carbon footprint comes from manufacturing, not usage.
How does buying refurbished help?
- Reduces e-waste: The world generates over 50 million tonnes of e-waste per year. Buying refurbished keeps functional devices out of landfills.
- Saves raw materials: Manufacturing a new iPhone requires mining rare earth metals, cobalt, lithium, and other finite resources. A refurbished device needs none of these.
- Lowers carbon emissions: Extending a smartphone's life by just one year can reduce its annual carbon impact by 25-30%.
- Conserves water and energy: Manufacturing electronics uses large amounts of water and energy. Refurbishment uses a fraction of these resources.
The circular economy connection
Buying refurbished is a practical way to participate in the circular economy, where products are kept in use as long as possible instead of being discarded after one owner. For a deeper look at how refurbished electronics fit into the circular economy, read our guide on the circular economy and buying refurbished.
Refurbished and still high quality
Environmental benefits do not come at the cost of quality. Refurbished Apple products listed on RefurbMe are fully tested and come with a warranty. You get a reliable device while making a more sustainable choice.