source: Omar Jordan Fawahl ; CC license
It appears that the UK smartphone market has almost reached saturation point. This is leading mobile manufacturers and tech developers to look for new markets and their sights are set on developing countries. Smartphone ownership looks likely to increase in countries such as India and China, by as much as 16% next year. We like what one Scottish company is doing to take advantage of this emerging market.
Recycling phones is their business and the release of the iPhone 6 has seen an increase in their order book. Redeem is the name of the company and they’ve recently purchased more than 10 million pounds of traded in phones.
The phones are wiped clean of all the data, refurbished and then sold on. Apple has made sure there is always a demand for their latest products to keep the brands exclusive appeal. But in developing countries there is a gap for affordable smartphones and Redeem have the answer, at least for the the time being. They are looking to become European leaders in recycling mobile phones but also recycle tablets and laptops although this is not the mainstay of their enterprise.
Redeem Holdings came about in 2011 when it was created following the merger of 4 different firms. The chairman of the company, Trevor Bailey, first bought Redeem. A company that had already been co-operating with mobile network operators for 10 years. Next he acquired EMC, another mobile phone recycler that had operations in Norway and Denmark as well as the UK. UPR Global and Envirofone became the final parts of the Redeem Holdings jigsaw in 2013. To date Redeem is the biggest and most successful mobile phone recycling company in the UK. Revenue is growing by 50% annually with profits expected to reach 4 million, with future plans to acquire more companies before the company is floated in 2015.
Nearly all phones that are traded in or sent for recycling can be effectively refurbished and sold again. But even those considered beyond repair have a value. They all contain small amounts of metals such as platinum, gold, silver or copper which can be reused to make jewelry. The battery contains nickel which can be combines with stainless steel to make saucepans. The plastic is also useful for melting down and reused as plastic sheeting or traffic cones.
When the time comes for you to upgrade your current mobile don’t put it in a drawer and forget about it. There are plenty of options open to you so you can help in preserving the planets valuable resources. You could even make yourself a few bob on the side.
Image source: flickr.com
