Almost a fifth of Irish consumers have never recycled a smartphone, and 59 per cent said they have yet to take advantage of trade-in programmes, a new study has found.
The research, which was commissioned by Vodafone Ireland, found sentimental attachment to items was an issue for people, with 75 per cent admitting that they had held on to old items for that reason. The top reason for hanging on to old smartphones rather than trading in was to keep photographs, with 30 per cent of people saying they had memories stored on the devices. Just over a quarter said they wanted to have a spare phone, while 23 per cent were conscious of the personal information stored on the device.
The findings were despite the majority of people leaning towards more environmentally friendly products, with 91 per cent saying they would opt for greener products. But the study also found people could be swayed towards more eco-conscious purchases by incentives such as a discount, with 80 per cent saying that would influence their decision.
Vodafone offers a trade-in scheme for old devices that gives customers up to €400 for trading in smartphones online or in-store. The campaign has so far collected more than 1,400kg of devices, which are are recycled and repurposed.
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The average person now keeps their smartphone for more than three years, but more than half keep a device in use for two to three years. Slowing performance and dwindling batteries are the top reasons for replacing the devices, while 35 per cent said their smartphone became unusable. Damage such as cracked screens were responsible for 22 per cent of customers changing devices.
While recycling rates in Ireland are generally high, there are barriers to recycling smartphones for some people, with a lack of information on how to go about it cited as the top reason for not doing so.
“We conducted this study to mark Earth Day and understand the opportunities and barriers for our customers to make greener choices. I am delighted to see that the research clearly shows an appetite among Irish people to recycle, reuse and repurpose smartphone devices. Since launching our online Trade-In tool, last year, we have seen a fantastic response from customers, and we are so proud of the reduction in e waste brought about by this initiative,” said Anita Carra, Consumer Business Director, Vodafone Ireland.
“At Vodafone, helping our customers switch to green, through services like trade-in and fix and go, is at the forefront of our purpose goals as we strive to reach net zero by 2040.’’
