EcoPhones – Environmental Accountability Statement

Every phase of a cell phone or laptop's life cycle, from raw material extraction all the way to its end-of-life management, has potential impacts on the environment. For example, during the extraction phase, raw materials must be extracted from the earth, refined, transported and manufactured into products such as cell phones, laptops, and other consumer electronics. Each of these phases uses tremendous amounts of energy and creates pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. When the product reaches the end of its useful life, the best choice is to properly and safely recycle it putting it (or at least the majority of its components) back into use. That's where EcoPhones comes in.

More than 80% of all electronics that EcoPhones receives are reusable and are therefore tested, reconditioned and sold in the United States. The revenues generated from the resale of used consumer electronics help pay for our warehouse rent, our repair technicians and our ability to pay schools and churches for an ever increasing number and variety of used and eventually hazardous consumer electronics.

The remaining 20% is de-manufactured abroad in Antwerp, Belgium at one of the world's leading precious metals refineries. Unlike many Asian nations that lack the necessary environmental infrastructure and laws, Belgium and the European Union possess the world's most advanced environmental technologies and are governed by the European Union's 2003 directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The plant is certified under ISO 9001 and 14001 and is the most modern and cleanest plant of its kind in the world. Consumer electronics contain more than 17 precious and other non-ferrous metals - all of which are recoverable and more importantly reusable including silver, gold, platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, indium, selenium, tellurium, antimony, tin, bismuth, arsenic and base metals such as lead, copper, nickel. (NOTE: While gold and silver have considerable value the precious metal content used in consumer electronics manufacturing yields slightly more revenue than the associated financial costs borne by EcoPhones to properly and safely recycle the other less valuable, non-valuable or even costly materials. In addition, EcoPhones must also pay for the costs associated with off-gas and waste water treatment.) In the end over 95% of the electronic waste is turned into useful products, and the final slag from the plant is used for construction purposes (e.g. for European dyke construction). Any remaining plastics or organic residue are utilized as a reducing agent and partly as a fuel substitute. All processes are equipped with highly efficient off-gas and waste water cleaning systems. As to the small remaining, non-usable portion of the waste, toxic elements such as cadmium (Cd) or mercury (Hg) are also systematically extracted and subsequently disposed of in a safe and controlled way.

View our Certificates of Destruction

Watch ‘The Secret Life Of Cell Phones’ video.