The new Greenpeace survey shows a growing consumer demand for smartphones that are made to last, don’t contain hazardous chemicals and are easily repaired and recycled.

As part of Greenpeace East Asia’s True Innovation campaign, the survey posed a series of questions to 1000 adults in each of six major smartphone markets; USA, Russia, Mexico, Germany, China and South Korea. Questions focused on device ownership and upgrades, sustainability attributes consumers want, as well as repair and recycling habits.

Findings show that a relatively low percentage of consumers – especially in Germany and USA – opt to repair their phones and that getting the latest device continues to be the primary driver in over a third of new phone sales. At the same time, over half the respondents agreed that phone manufacturers release new models too frequently.

From a sustainability perspective, a majority of survey respondents also said that battery life, easy repair and long use life are important features of a smartphone. Overwhelmingly, consumers also want their smartphones to free from hazardous chemicals.

READ MORE ABOUT THE GREENPEACE SURVEY

Key Findings – Greenpeace Survey

  • More than one third of respondents answered they purchased their most recent device because they wanted the most updated model, not because their existing device was lost or damaged.
  • Respondents owned multiple phones – both in use and not –ranging from an average of 3.22 devices per capita in Germany to 5.55 in Russia.
  • Over half of the respondents answered that mobile phone brands release new models more often than is needed