Are There Such Things as Sustainable Smartphones?

You can’t really have a ‘sustainable smartphone’, as all are made with mined materials (the display usually has animal cholesterol and glue may contain casein). The most ‘ethical smartphone’ options are not to have one, or to buy a refurbished version.

The Right to Repair Act excludes phones and laptops, which rather defeats the object. And companies that have to comply with certain rules, often sell expensive DIY repair kits, not much better.

Fairphone (recycled and conflict-free)

Fairphone 6 is likely the best choice for now. With a 5-year warranty and 8 years of software support, it’s made with fair trade and some recycled materials, and nothing is glued shut, so you (or someone else) can make affordable repairs.

The company has a Keep Club reward system, so you redeem credit when you recycle your old phone.

Avoid charging phones overnight, as this wastes energy in the early hours, when the phone battery is already full. Other ways to save energy are to turn down brightness, and remove unused apps.

Teracube (repairable Smartphones)

Teracube creates robust phones with 4-year guarantees, and again has repairable parts, and is made with partly-recycled materials and a replaceable battery. Includes a screen protector, charging cable and biodegradable case, sent in recycled packaging.

TeraCube Thrive is a safe smartphone for children (child psychologists suggest age 11 is minimum age  to have one). It includes time limits and location tracking, and can block unsafe searches and unapproved callers.

giffgaff (affordable refurbished phones)

giffgaff is a people-owned company that sells refurbished phones, with 12-month warranties and free next-day delivery. Search by brand and trade in your old phone to help pay for the cost.

Grade Mobile (more refurbished phones)

Grade Mobile buys unwanted phones, that are sold at affordable prices to others. Choose by condition, storage or colour. Each phone undergoes a 90-point check, using industry-leading robotics.

Doro (simple mobile phones for seniors)

Doro 8100 is a Swedish-made ‘smartphone for seniors’, which can also be used for anyone who just wants a simple phone and nothing else. The optional Dora Assistance Key can alert five contacts in emergency (if there is no answer from the first contact, it hangs up and calls the second, and goes to loud speaker on answering). This service is free, but must have credit available.

People have five seconds to cancel, if they call accidentally. It’s also possible to pair these phones with wrist-worn Doro 3500 Bluetooth alarm triggers.

Qustodio (an app to keep children safe)

Of course, it helps to simply get your children out in nature, so they don’t spend their lives on their phone. But Qustodio is helpful to keep them safe from cyber-bullying, grooming and porn. It sets ‘downtimes’ to stop phone surfing at night, plus has can block sites.

Wave Case (biodegradable phone cases)

Most phone cases are made from virgin plastic, which not only supports the oil industry, but means that if dropped down a drain or by the sea, they break down into microplastics, ingested by marine creatures (same even with recycled plastic phone cases).

Wave Case is a small company founded by two friends in the north east, who were concerned about local coastal pollution. It makes phone cases made from wheat straw (a by-product of the farming industry that would either be landfilled or burned), to create phones free from single-use plastic, sold in many colours and designs (for iPhones, Samsung and Google).

Avoid MagSafe protection covers near pacemakers or defibrillators and keep magnets away from children and pets. Know that vets don’t recommend AirTag to track pets, due to risk of ingesting metal, plastic and batteries. Read how to prevent and find lost pets. 

You can send the cases back at end of life, for industrial composting. And get 20% discount on your next phone case. This is better than recycled plastic phone cases, which still break into microplastics in the sea, if dropped down a drain or at the beach.

These phone cases are top quality, drop-tested 26 times 9and with 2mm lips around the screens and cameras, for ultimate protection). They have attractive flecks due to the material, the only caveat being that the lighter colours may pick up dye from clothes (like jean pockets).

If this is a concern, choose a darker colour. In fact, these cases are less likely to slip out of your hands or pocket than slippery plastic or silicone, as the wheat straw provides ‘better grip’.

Wave Case also offers recycled glass screen protectors which again are drop-tested (to 1.5 metres) and compatible for all types of phones. To protect in transit, they are sold in plastic packaging (so recycle at kerbside or supermarket bag bins).

Matching Airpod and AirTag cases (for attaching keys or luggage) are also made from biodegradable wheat straw, sold with secure keyring attachments.

The bio-based charging cables (with high-speed data transfer) are made to the same quality and strength as TPE (plastic) cables, sent in paper sleeves.

Phone Accessory Recycling Boxes

TerraCycle can provide community recycling boxes for phone accessories (cases and screen protectors). Your community, office, school or council can buy a box (£100 to £200, depending on size) to send off (postage included) to be made into industrial goods, like piping.

Place the box in a community centre, shop or school, for people to drop off unwanted items. It’s a great ‘one-off amnesty box’, to remove all plastic phone waste out of your town for good, hopefully to never return!