«Onlyifweunderstand,canwecare.Onlyifwecare,wewillhelp.

Onlyifwehelp,weshallbesaved.»JaneGoodall

Treasurehuntmobilephone:Theadventurousjourneyofrawmaterials

Teachingmaterialon:

Rawmaterialsinourmobilephones

Dearteachers,

Thank you for showing interest in our environment and that you are going to use thisteachingmaterialonmobilephones.

Morethan87%ofallchildrenandyoungpeoplebetween12and19yearsoldhave theirownmobilephone.1Multifunctionalmobilephoneshavebecomeanindispensablepartofyoung people’s lives.Multifunctionalmobile phones have also become an important foradultsintheirprivateandbusinesslives.Especiallydirectaccesstotheinternetmakesthemobilephonetoan“always-everywhere-online-tool”.Mobilephoneshavebecomemuchmorethanameansofcommunication;theyenableustobeinformed,toorganiseourselves,tobeentertainedandtonetworkwhereverweare.With the rise of the mobile phone the approach of modern pedagogy has changedregarding this topic: Themobilephonehasbecome theobjectofmediapedagogy in thelastyears.Intheteachingmaterialyounowholdinyourhandsthetopicisnotconveyanceofmediacompetence,itisratherthedefinitionofgoalsforgloballearning.Thesegoalsaretobeconveyedbyusingthemobilephoneasanexampleandcanbepresentedonthebasisofsocialandecologicalconsequencesinthecontextofglobalisedproduction.Thestrongconnectionofmostyoungpeopletothisproductguaranteesahighdegreeofpreviousknowledgeandmotivationforthetopicwhichisthebasistobebuilton.

OnbehalfoftheRoots&Shootsnetworkwewouldliketoencourageyoutogetactivewithyourstudentsfornatureconservation.Startasmallorabigproject!Supportourcollectioncampaigns. Whenever you have questions, we are there for you to support you inimplementingyourprojects.

YourRoots&ShootsTeam1Mediabehaviourofyoungpeoplemobilephone/smartphone,UpperAustria,Studyonyoungpeopleandmedia2013(MedienverhaltenderJugendlichenHandy/Smartphone,OÖ.,Jugend-Medien-Studie2013)

Roots&Shoots,isaglobal,ecologicalandhumanitarianprogrammeforchildrenandyoungpeopleinitiatedbyJaneGoodallInstitutesworld-wide.

“Youcannotgetthroughasingledaywithoutmakinganimpactontheworldaroundyou.Whatyoudomakesadifference,andyouhaveto

decidewhatkindofdifferenceyouwanttomake.”

JaneGoodall

Unit2|Thetreasuresinmymobilephone

Unit1|Thejourneyofmymobilephone

Content:

Togetherwithyourstudentsyoucompilethelifecycleofamobilephone.Putamobilephone inthecentreandthinkabout: where does this device come from, where do theraw materials come from and who was involved inproducingit.

• Illustrate which stations a mobile phone has to gothrough in the course of its “life”, from producing therawmaterials to producing the device to selling it anddisposingit.

• Discuss the “political origin” of the raw materials andthesocial,ecologicalandeconomicconsequences.

• Make the students aware of the fact that producing amobile phone is very complex and that this little thingcontainsa lotofmaterial,workandextraordinary longdistances.

• Raiseawareness that their consumerbehaviourhasanimpact on the environment, the wildlife in therespectiveminingregionsandthepeoplewhoproducetheirmobilephones.

Compileaproductionchaintogetherwiththeparticipants.Printoutthecardsintheannex(WorkSheet1,productionchain)inordertoillustratethegreatercontext.Themobilephoneliesonthecard“use”.Thenaddtheothercardsoneaftertheother:

• Productionofrawmaterials• Meltingplant• Distributor• Producer• Mobilephonecompanysoftwarelicences• Shop

Youalsocanstartachainintheotherdirection.

• Recycling• Production of raw materials (here the cycle is

completed)

Questions:

• Whohasamobilephone?• Howoldisthismobilephone?• Wheredidyoubuyit?• Where did this person get your mobile phone

from,whatdoyouthink?• Where do the shops get their mobile phones

from?• Whatisamobilephonemadeof?• Where do the raw materials come from? Who

does the mining and who processes the rawmaterials?

• What kind of work needs to be done at thedifferentstations?

• What do the different work places possibly looklike?

• What kind of working conditions will you findthere?

• HowlongdoIusemymobilephone?• Whathappensthen?

Mobilephonesareglobalproducts,notonlywhenyouusethem,butthroughouttheirwholelifecycle.Mobilephonesaretypicalexamplesfortoday’sglobalisedproductionchainswiththeircomplexsupplystructures.Todaymorethan4billionpeopleworld-widehaveamobilephone.Thisincredibleproductionvolumecreatesjobsformanypeople,however,italsocreatesalotofsocialandecologicalproblems.Background: Mobilephonesareglobalproductswhoseproductionneedsalotofresourcesandenergy.Goal: ProductionchainsofmobilephonesandtheirecologicalandsocialimpactWhatyouneed:Woolorthreadandprintoutsofthecards(WorkSheet1)

Possiblyaworldmapandtableoftheelements

Unit2|Thetreasuresinmymobilephone

Backgroundknowledge:Production:Productionofrawmaterials:

Mobilephonescontainmorethan50differentmaterials(amongstotherscobalt,copper,zinc,gold).Furthermore,theycontainthemetaltantalum,whichisproducedfromtherareandvaluablecrudeorecoltan(shortforcolumbite-tantalite).This metal is used in the production of mobile phones,games consoles and laptops. After Australia, the Congo isthe second largest producer of coltan. Illegal mining ofcoltanbyrebelgroupsisnottheonlyproblemwhichcausescriticism.Childand forced labour,aswell aswide-ranging,sustainable impacts on nature are the reason for muchcriticism,aswell.Theecologicalconsequencesofthemostlyillegalmining,aswellasthedestructionoftherainforestandthepollutionthroughimproperdisposalofwastearenoteventakenintoaccount. And the habitat of our closest relatives, thechimpanzees,isdangerouslynarrowing.Thereare,however, initiativeswhicharesupportedbythemobile phone industry and are based on buying only“ethicallycorrect”coltan.Sinceitissuppliedandprocessedbythirdcountriesaproofoforigin isusuallyverydifficult.Therearefirstattemptstohaveaflawlessproofoforiginbytakingitsgeochemical“fingerprint”.

Production:

Anincreasingpartofconsumerelectronicsisproducedin

developingcountries.Inthelastyearstheproducersrelocated

theirproductionsitesfromonecountry

tothenext,increasinglymoretoAsiainorderto

savecostsandtobepresentintheemergingmarkets.Mostof the time companies do not produce their devicesthemselves,butassignittocontractorsandsuppliers.The most frequent problems in mobile phone productionconcerningsocialtopicsandworkers’rightsarelowwages,excessive overtime, the violation of the right to organise,problems regarding theprotectionof health and safety atwork, aswell as the increasing job insecurity due to fixedterm contracts and temporary employment agencies. Theelectronic industry is traditionally very hostile againstunions in the production countries which leads to a verylow level of union organisation and there are hardly anywagesettlements.

Fortheproducersofmobilephonesitisverydifficult,evenimpossible to find out at which distributor the supplyingmanufacturersbuytheirmaterial.Thedistributorsbuythenecessary material at different melting plants and theypurchase their minerals and raw materials from differentmines.Transparencyisverylowinthisindustry.

Use:

Resourceconsumptionofmobilephoneswhentheyare inuseisprimarilylimitedtotheirenergyconsumption,whichisnotveryrelevantregardingtheirshorttimeofusagecomparedtotheirenergyconsumptionduringtheirproduction.However,wheninusetheyindirectlyconsumeadditionalenergybyusingthemobilenetwork(basicstations,antennas,switchingcentres,wiringsystems),whichmakestheusagephaseecologicallyrelevantforthelifecycle.Disposal:

Whathappenstoamobilephonewhenitisnotusedanymore?Mostofthemgetintoadrawerandstaythere,othersaregiventofriendsorrelativesoraresold.Only a feware recycled – someeven are thrown into thedomesticwaste.Mobilephonesaremuchtoopreciousforthatduetotheirresourceintensiveproduction.Recyclinghelpstobringbackatleastpartoftherawmaterialsintotheproductioncycle.(Moreonrecyclinginpart3)

Unit2|Thetreasuresinmymobilephone

Additionalideas:ThejourneyofamobilephoneMaterial:worldmap,threadHowto:Thetextonthepossiblejourneyofamobilephonebelow is read togetherwith the students. Use the threadforsimulatingthetransportandproductionnetworkontheworldmap.

Discussion:• Which transport means could be used for raw

materials,singlepartsorthefinishedmobilephone?• Whatdoyouthink:Howmuchdamageisdonetoour

environment by using so many different means oftransportandthemanyproductionsteps?

• What do you think why the mobile phone needs totravelthisfar?

• What kind of impact does this journey have to theenvironmentandhumanity?

Source:EuropeanCommission,2013

AnoldmobilephonetellsitsstoryMaterial:PossiblyaframemadeofcartontosimulateaTVset, a brush or anything else that could be used as amicrophone,newspaperorpaperHow to: The person leading the group of students takeshis/her mobile phone out and tells a short, but inspiringstory,suchas:

Nowsplitintothreegroups:The first group takes on the role of the mobile phoneproducersandthinksabouthowtheycouldcreateamobilephone which could be used longer andmore sustainably.The second group thinks about the timewhen it is in useand the third group thinks about the “end” of themobilephone. – Is it going to be given away to somebody else?Will it end up in the residual waste? Is it going to bedisposedoftherightwayorwillsomeofitspartscontinuetheirlivesinothermobilephones?Everygroupnowhastenminutesforcollectingideaswhatthemobilephonewouldhavetotellyou.Everythinggoes–themore creative, the better. Every groupwrites down alittlestorywhichisthenreadtotheclass.Alternative:Thedifferentgroupsdonotwritedownastorybutcreateawhole show or theatre play, interview the mobile phone,draw a comic strip or something of that sort. If the classdecidesonmakingabigshow,thenyoucouldeitherfilmitorperformforotherclassesorparents.

AnincrediblejourneyCopper(Cu)isexcavatedinChileconsumingalotofenergy.Gold(Au)comesfromSouthAfricaandsilver(Ag)fromRussia.TheserawmaterialsaretransportedtoChina.Theresemi-finishedproducts,i.e.singleparts,areproducedbymachinesandbypeople.Thesesemi-finishedproductsaretransportedthentoMalaysia.Therethemobilephonesareassembledandpacked.ThenthemobilephonetravelstoFinlandtooneofthebigmobilephoneproducers.Fromthereitfinallycomestoyourcountryandyoucanbuyitatoneofthemobilephoneproviders.ThecopperpartshavetravelledthenfromChiletoe.g.Austriaforapprox.38,000km.

Myoldmobilephone“MayIintroduceyouto-mymobilephone.Ifitcouldtalk,therewouldbealotitwouldtellyou:forexampleitwouldtellyouthatitsownersometimesforgetswheresheputit,sheonceevenforgetitinthetrainandonlybyalotofluckshegotitback.Whathappenedtoyourmobilephone?Wheredoesitcomefrom?Howwasitproduced?Whatkindofpeopleworkedonit?Howfardidittravel?Whoowneditandwhathappenedtoitthere,whatkindofthingsdidithear?Howandwherewillitfinallygoto?“

Unit2|Thetreasuresinmymobilephone

Unit2|Thetreasuresinmymobilephone

Content:

Thestudentslearnaboutrawmaterialsandtheirimpactonourdailylifebytheexampleofamobilephone.Inthisunitthey work on finding out which parts a mobile phone ismade of and which raw materials are contained in thedifferentparts.Thestudentsrealisethattherawmaterialsinmobilephonesarefiniteonthisplanetandprecious.Partsofamobilephone

Whatyouneed:Anoldmobilephone,tools (screwdriver,pliers...), a sheet of paper for labelling, work sheet withtable of the elements +work sheet of the “Anatomy of amobilephone”.

Howto:Inthistaskthestudentscanprovetheirhandicraftskills.Theparticipantsdisassembleanoldmobilephone inpairsor in a group butwithout doing toomuch damage to theindividualpartsandputtheminfrontofthem.Atleast4partsneedtolieinfrontofthem(display,circuitboard,battery,case).Labelthem.By using work sheet 2 the students work out which rawmaterialsareinwhichpartsofthemobilephoneandlabelthose,too.Allrawmaterialsusedinthemobilephoneareenteredintothetableofelements(worksheet3).Whereareyou,rawmaterial?

Whatyouneed:Worksheet,scissors

How to: The individual cards ofwork sheet 4 are cut outand are stacked in two piles. The participants tryindividuallyoringroups(byusingworksheet4)tofindthecardswhichgotogether.

Thejourneyofthemobilephone

Howto:First you show the disassembled mobile phone toeverybody and explain the different parts. Now thestudentsget intogroups,one foreverypartof themobilephone. Depending on in how much detail the parts aredescribed,therearemanysmallgroupsorfewer,butbiggergroups.Thefollowinggroupscanbebuilt:• Plasticscase(rigidplastic):biggestgroup• Display(glass)• Buttons(softplastic)• Battery• Cameralense• Loudspeaker• Circuitboard• Metals:iron,aluminium,etc.• Preciousmetals:silver,gold,etc.

When all students found a group they want to join, theystart assembling themobile phone. They place the plasticcasearoundalltheotherpartswhichareputtogetherjustastheyfeel.Whentheyaredonewiththemobilephone,allsay the name of their group aloud. Then they letthemselvesfalldown(themobilephonefallsapart).Butwhichpartsarenowusedinwhichform?Everygroupisnowanalysed in detail stepby step. It’s nowyour turn toaccompanythegroupsasanexpert.

Tip:Witholderstudentsyoucandiscussglobalprocessesoryoucandomoreresearchandexercises.

Mobilephonescontainabout60different,preciousrawmaterials.ManyofthesematerialsareextractedintherainforestsofAfrica.The(partlyillegal)miningdestroysthesejungles,bereavingthewildanimalsandplantsoftheirhabitatandbringsaboutenormoussocialproblems.Armedgroupsfightagainsteachotherinordertogetcontroloverdifferentresources.Tradingofthepreciousmineralsfinancestheirpoliticalandmilitaryactivities.

Goal: Awarenessraisingforthetopicrawmaterials,theirimpactandtheirvalue

Whatyouneed:oldmobilephones,tools,worksheets

Unit2|Thetreasuresinmymobilephone

BackgroundknowledgerawmaterialsMobilephonesaremadeofplastics(onaverageapprox.50%),differentmetals (about28%;15%ofwhicharecopperand many more) and glass and ceramics (approx. 15 %).They contain about 4 % carbon and approx. 3 % othersubstances (Reller et al., 2009). Roughly speaking, theplasticsisneededforthecase,thebuttonsandtheprintedcircuit board. Themetals are needed for cables, contacts,the printed circuit board and the battery. Glass andceramics are needed for the LCD display and theembeddingoftheliquidcrystals.Mobilephonescontainthefollowingelements:Carbon (C),hydrogen (H),copper (Cu),aluminium(Al),ore(Fe), silicon (Si), tantalum (Ta), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn),chromium(Cr), lead(Pb),neodymium(Nd),zinc(Zn),silver(Ag),palladium(Pd),gold(Au),antimony(Sb),titanium(Ti),bismuth(Bi),cobalt(Co),beryllium(Be), lithium(Li),boron(B),nitrogen(N),oxygen(O),fluorine(F),magnesium(Mg),phosphorus (P), sulphur (S), chlorine (Cl), potassium (K),calcium (Ca),manganese (Mn), gallium (Ga), arsenic (As),bromine (Br), strontium (Sr), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr),niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), ruthenium (Ru), indium(In), barium (Ba), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), tungsten(W),platinum(Pt)Cadmium(Cd)andmercury(Hg)shouldnotbecontained.

Source:schoolkitbyElektroaltgeräteKoordinierungsstelleAustriaGmbH

Many parts of the mobile phone such as gold, silver,palladium, copper, zinc and coltan (columbite-tantalite,tantalum isextracted from it)aremined in the rainforestsof Africa without taking care of any ecological, health orsocial consequences – what remains is a barrenmoonscape. Through the destruction of the jungles thelocalpopulation,thewildanimalsandtheplantslosetheirhabitat. This can be seen very clearly at the drasticreductionofthenumbersofapesintheCongo,Ugandaand18 other African states: 50 years ago 1.5 millionchimpanzees lived there, today their number is anestimated200,000.Thesecondlargestcoltandepositoftheworld is situated in theCongo.Extracting thismineralandmorethan50otherrawmaterialsisverylaborious,needsalotof space, energyandwaterandhasadramatic impactonthisecologicallysensitivearea.However,thesearetherawmaterialswhicharecontainedin thedevicesweuseeveryday suchas computers,TVorthemobilephone.Withthisprojectwewouldliketomakecleartotheyoungpeoplethattheycanhaveanimpactonthese processes, which are apparently so far away, sincetheyareinvolvedinallthisasconsumers.In total about 60 different materials are contained in amobilephone.

Unit2|Thetreasuresinmymobilephone

Additionalideasforyourlessons:Shortageofresources:ActivegameMaterialandpreparation:Beforeyoustartwiththegame,makeringsoutofropesorspringlinesindifferentsizes.Thenumberofringsshouldbethesameasthenumberofplayersandshouldbeofthefollowingsizes:• Oneringshouldbigenoughsothattwothirdsofthe

participantscanstandwithinitverycloselytogether(approx.6m).

• Severalringsthesizeof5participants(approx.3.5m);• Evenmoreringsthesizeofholding2to3people

(approx.2.20m);• About60%ofallringsarethesizethattheycanbeput

aroundonepairoffeet(approx1.10m);Tip:Ifneitherropesnorspringlinesareavailable,youcanalsouserings(hulahooprings).Allringsaredistributedinadistanceofabout40cmoverthefloor.Introduction:“Iwouldliketodoanexercisewithyouinordertoshowtoyouwhatashortageofresourcesanddealingwithitmeans.Imaginethattheringyouarestandinginisanimportantresource(arawmaterial,yourhabitat).Inordertostayinthegamebothyourfeetneedtobewithintheringafterthephaseswhereyouchangeplacesandtheyarenotallowedtotouchtherope/ringortheflooroutsideofthering.”Takealooknowifallthestudentsarestandingcorrectly.Startthegame:“ThesecondIsayCHANGE,everybodyneedstofindanewplaceinanotherring.Whenallofyoustandcorrectlyaccordingtotherules,thenIwillsayagain:CHANGEandyouchange.Understood?Okay,CHANGE!“Waitandtakealook,ifallfoundanewplace.

Courseoftheplay:Wheneverthestudentschangetheirplaces,oneormoreofthesmallerringsaretakenawayassoonasnobodystandsinthemanymore.Nowthestudentswillgetrestless,sincetherearenotenoughringssothateverystudenthasoneforhim/herself.Theringsneedtobeshared.You,asgamemaster,nowcansay:“Theresourcesaregettingscarcer!”Wheneverthestudentschange,trytotakeawayoneormoreoftherings.Ifonly1or2biggerringsremainonthefloor,itwillnotbepossibletoaccommodateallstudents.Someoftheparticipantswillthenstandoutsideoftherings.Perhapsyouwanttosay:“Dothinkitfairthatthesuccessofafewleadstofailureoftheothers?”or“Isitacceptableforyouthatthesuccessofafewiscausingfailureoftheothers?”Usuallythisquestionwillleadtoalotofeffortstoaccommodateallstudentsintheremainingrings.Veryoftentheyaskifitisokaytostandonthetipofthetoes.Agoodansweris:“Anythingthatisnotprohibitedandnotdangerousisokay.”Thisbringsoutalotofcreativityinthestudents,e.g.somewillsitdownoutsideoftheringandwillonlykeeptheirheelsinthering.As game master it is important to watch how thesestrategiesbegin,whoisthefirstinitiatingthem,iftheyareobservedorignored.Thegameisoverwhenallparticipantshavebothfeetintheringanditisnotpossibletotakeawayanother ring.When the students realise that the ringsareonly taken away whenever there is nobody standing inthere,and startonly leaving the ringwhenever somebodyelsehas “takenover”, then thegame isover, aswell, andyoucongratulatethestudentsontheirstrategy.Talkaboutthegame.

Worksheet1

Unit3|Recyclingpaysoff

Contents:The increased use of electronic devices such as mobilephones has at the same time increased the amount ofproductsnotneededanymore.Althoughmobilephonesarevery small, they contain a lot of potentially dangeroussubstances,aswellasverypreciousmetals.Therefore it isimportant that they are recycled carefully and entirely. Ifmoremobilephoneswererecycled,lessmetalswouldneedto be extracted and less dangerous substances wouldcontaminatetheenvironment.In thisunit theparticipants try toreflectontheirpersonaluse of their mobile phones, to find possibilities to keeptheir phone for a longer timeand todiscuss,what shouldhappen to themobilephonewhen it isnotusedanymoreandhowtorecycleitcorrectly.WorldCafé“Thelifeofamobilephone”Thegroupissplitinfoursmallergroups.Everygrouphasaflipchartandgetsonetopictoworkon:

GroupA:Whichmeasures come to yourmind in order toprolongthelifeofyourmobilephone?

GroupB:Thinkaboutatypicalmobilephonecommercialinthemedia.What is thegoalof theprovider? Imagine thatyou get the task to advertise sustainable use of amobilephone.Whatwillyourcommerciallooklike?

Group C: What shall I do with my mobile phone when Iwon’tuseitanymore?

Group D: You have amobile phone recycling box in yourclass.Therecycledmobilephonesprotecttheenvironment.The Jane Goodall Institute, every recycled mobile phonehelps the implementation of projects on protectingchimpanzees. What can you do in order to make thiscampaignassuccessfulaspossible?

The students think about possible answers to all thequestions.Theleaderofthegroupwritesdownallideasontheflipchart.After5to10minutesthestudentschangethegroup,theleadersstayintheirgroup.The leaders inform the new “guests” on the ideas theirpredecessors had, they discuss the topic from a differentpoint of view and new ideas arewritten down. If there isenough time, change once more. Then the individualpostersarepresentedtothebiggroup.Startadiscussion.Possibleanswers:GroupA:Longeruse• Keepmobilephoneinacase.• Protectitagainstmoisture• ProtectitagainstbumpandfallsTipsforalongerlifeofyourbattery• Charge battery before it is drained to 0%, best you

chargeitindifferentstates• Chargethebatteryfully• Leaveitpluggedinonlyuntilitisfullycharged• Alwaysunplugthecharger• Takethebatteryoutofyourphoneifyoudonotuseit

foralongertime(morethanamonth)Haveitrepaired

GroupB:Productdesignandadvertising• Createanecologicaldesign• Advertise“cascade”use• Make upcycling a trend, i.e. advertise longer and re-

usebyothers• Advertise“SIM-only”(theownerkeepshis/hermobile

phoneandgetsanewSIMcard)

Inthepreviousunitsthestudentsweretaughtaboutthepreciouscontentsofamobilephone.Inthelastunittheyshouldthinkaboutwhatwillhappentoamobilephonewhenitisnotneededanymore.

Goals:Raisingawarenessforthecorrecttreatmentofmobilephoneswhicharenotneededanymore.

Whatyouneed:4sheetsofflipchartpaper,markers

Worksheet1

GroupC:• Giveawayyourmobilephonetofriendsorrelatives

forlongeruse• Recycling boxes of JGI New Zealand: Old mobile

phones, plus batteries and chargers if available arecollected and recycled. The proceeds are used forprojectsprotectingchimpanzees.

• Disposal via the mobile phone provider: All bignetwork providers take back theirmobile phones viamailorintheshop.

• Disposalbyrecyclingcentres:Oldmobilephonescanbe disposed of in community recycling centres forfree.

GroupD:• Askyourrelativesandfriends,iftheyhaveoldmobile

phones,theydon’tuseanymore.• Create collection boxes which can be positioned in

publicbuildings.• Raiseawarenessofthecampaignatschoolevents.• Writeandpublishanarticlefortheschoolnewspaper

andschoolwebpage.• Gototheclosestmobilephoneshopsandaskwhatis

goingtohappentooldmobilephones.

Backgroundknowledgerecycling

Disposal65 – 80 % of an average mobile phone are recyclable.Usually the metals are recycled and the plastic parts arepartially used for energy. Recycling helps the water andenergy balance compared to newproduction of the sameamountofmaterials.Onlyasmallshareofusedmobilephonesarerecycledandthedisposal isdoneinthresholdcountrieswhererecyclingand disposal is very often severely damaging theenvironment. The high-tech parts are in general verydifficult to recycle. The diversity and limited separabilitymakesrecyclingverydifficult.(Nokia2001).

Recyclingsavesprimarycostsandthusconservestheenvironment

Recyclingcanecologicallyandeconomicallymakesense.Ingeneral it has a lotof advantages compared to theuseofprimary raw materials such as reduction of the use ofprimaryrawmaterialsandthusareductionofdependencyof imports,conservationofnaturalresources,reductionofenergy consumption compared to primary raw materialsand greenhouse gasses. (DERA, 2011). Somemetals can beused almost as often as possible, e.g. recycled gold,palladium or copper have the same chemical/physicalproperties as the metal used in primary production(Hagelüken2009a).Additionallythemetalconcentrationinrecycledmaterialismuchhigherthaninmining.

EUlawrequiresthatthecostsfordisposalneedtobebornebytheproducerandthattheshareofthemostdangeroussubstancesmust be reduced. These framework conditionshave caused the mobile phone producers to produceproducts which are more environmentally friendly andeasier to recycleand itbroughtabouta stronger focusonecologicaltopicsintheWesternmarkets.Theeffortsoftheproducersareonlyattheverybeginning,though.Sustainable production of mobile phones by anincreaseofresourceefficiency

Resource efficiency is one of themega trends of the 21stcentury. The reasons for this intensive debate are virtualshortage in resources, increasing resource costs andsustainablemanagement.

Resource efficiency potentials can be realised by a longeruse of the product. The average time of use for mobilephones liesbetween18and24months, althoughmostofthe deviceswouldworkmuch longer. It is not about howlongamobilephonecanbeusedorhowrobustit is,whatcounts is that you get a new mobile phone with everyextension of your contract – sometimes even monthsbeforetheoldcontractexpires.Everyyearaboutmillionsofmobilephonesarepurchased.Butonlyafractionarerecycled.Thismeansthatmillionsofmobile phonesdisappear in drawers or aredisposedof intheresidualwasteeachyear.

One of the central keys to an increase of the number ofmobile phones to be recycled is to improve the collectioninfrastructure. If itwerepossible to recycle themproperlyand efficiently, several tonnes of rawmaterials would beretrieved.