FOREWORD

I can already feel myself jonesing for a newer , shinier , functionally identical glass brick to replace my buggy , worn-out phone that ’ s less than two years old . What if I swap it for a “ new ” phone that ’ s only four years old ?

With consumers under assault from a relentlessly pushed upgrade cycle ( maybe I ’ ll get the new iPhone SE that ’ s dropping next month ) and grappling with devices that break down in two-three years largely by design , something has to give .

E-waste is one of the fastest growing sources of carbon emissions from the tech sector , and the disposable smartphone culture has got to go . Maybe major manufacturers can be regulated out of a world where phones are designed to be disposable . Maybe Finnish startups like Swappie ( which just raised $ 108 million to buy , refurbish and sell iPhones ) are the answer .

However we achieve it , the smartphone value cycle needs to be extended drastically .

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