A dozen global telecom operators recently committed to taking back and recycling a minimum of 20% of all mobile phones they distribute directly to customers by 2030. The project was initiated by mobile network operator industry association GSMA and was led by Sweden’s Tele2 and French operator Orange.
BT Group, Globe Telecom, GO Malta, Iliad, KDDI, NOS, Orange, Proximus, Safaricom, Singtel, Telefonica and Tele2 have all pledged to achieve this target while ensuring that all used mobile devices collected are repaired, reused or transferred to controlled recycling organizations.
As the company prioritizes promoting a more circular flow of resources, Tele2 revealed that it has an additional goal of taking back and recycling 30% of its distributed mobile phones by 2030.
According to estimates from the GSMA, if five billion mobile phones are properly recycled, it could help recover $8 billion worth of gold, palladium, silver, copper, rare earth elements and other critical minerals alongside enough cobalt for 10 million electric-car batteries.
This accord marks a significant step towards worldwide sustainability efforts within the telecom industry.
Contact our team at [insert email here] to learn more about our sustainable initiatives.
