The Average User Of A Mobile Phone Is Generating Nearly 2 Tonnes Of Co2 From Using Their Phone

The UK loves its mobile phones, the average person uses their mobile phone for 4 hours and 14 mins per day (Statista 2022). To make a mobile phone takes approx 13 000 litres of water (Friends Of The Earth, Mind Your Steps) and between 80-90kg of Co2 (8billiontrees.com) and once it has been made there is an impact every time you switch it on and use it and save documents, messages and emails, streaming.

Whilst mobile phones and the UK’s love of them is not going away, we do need to lessen their impact, and whilst individuals and local businesses cannot reduce the resources used to make devices, other than keeping them longer, repairing them and buying refurbished devices they can offset the damage done from their usage. Using your mobile phone is generating Co2 and greenhouse gases. This is helping to fuel climate change.

One business in Northamptonshire is helping individuals lead the fight to have a guilt free way of using a mobile phone. Repair Not Replace that was set up to stop mobile phones, computer and tablets go to landfill, by offering a convenient and hassle-free, door step repair service, that is carbon neutral is now launching a way for individuals and businesses to offset the carbon footprint of their mobile phone, for 12 months of guilt free usage in a simple one off payment each year.

Repair Not Replace has worked out the amount of carbon being produced by an average mobile phone, amount of co2 from storing documents and photos in the cloud, sending a text message, making a call and has partnered with Ecologi to offer a simple subscription.

1 hour of streaming a video on a mobile phone creates 9 - 12g of Co2 (Honest mobile)

1 minute phone call 0.1 - 0.5g of Co2 (Honest mobile)

Text 0.014 - 0.019g of Co2 (Honest mobile)

1 GB data storage in the cloud 3kg of Co2 (8billiontrees.com)

The average person has 500GB of data stored across multiple cloud services. (Pcloud.com)

For one fixed price of £36.99, they can have peace of mind that their love of the mobile phone is not damaging the world. They will get a certificate and access to see the offsetting projects they are helping to fund. Practical ideas and tips will also come out during the year on how to lessen their carbon footprint from their device even further.

The offsetting is done by planting trees, helping to set up wind farms, generating electricity from landfill, avoiding methane emissions from landfill, peatland restoration, solar power generation and other off setting projects. (https://ecologi.com/repairnotreplace).

Repair Not Replace are also a finalist in the 2023 NNBN Business Awards for the Green Award. Since Repair Not Replace was set up it has helped its customers save approximately 480 tonnes of Co2.

Anyone wanting to sign up for the service can visit https://repairnotreplace.co.uk/planet