smartphones

3 Ways Making a Smartphone Can Harm the Environment

3 Ways Making a Smartphone Can Harm the Environment

By Patrick Byrne and Karen Hudson-Edwards Nearly five billion people worldwide will use a smartphone by 2020. Each device is made up of numerous precious metals and many of the key technological features wouldn’t be possible without them. Some, like gold, will be familiar. Others, such as terbium, are less well-known. Mining these metals is […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    What Will Samsung Do With Its 4.3 Million Recalled Smartphones?

    What Will Samsung Do With Its 4.3 Million Recalled Smartphones?

    Samsung’s lack of transparency on the disposal of its Galaxy Note 7 leaves tons of precious minerals at risk of being discarded into the environment. According to calculations by Oeko-Institut, a research and consultancy institution based in Germany, the 4.3 million smartphones contain more than 20 metric tons of cobalt, more than 1 ton of […]