In the market for a second-hand phone? You’re in luck because Aussie telco Belong has launched the Second Life Shop, a place where you can buy refurbished phones.
To bring the Second Life Shop to the masses, Belong has partnered with a company by the name of Kingfisher. Together, they’re hoping to tackle rising technology e-waste and cost of living pressures.
“The reality is that the lifecycle of a single phone can account for tonnes of carbon emissions – around 80 per cent of those occurring during production,” Belong head of product and marketing Aaliah Eggins-Bryson said.
“Globally, we throw away around 44.7 million tonnes of tech each year in favour of new devices. The Second Life Shop aims to bring greater awareness to the environmental impacts of our e-waste decisions.”
Refurbished phones sold via the Second Life Shop are sourced locally, Belong said. They also undergo a “30-plus point testing process” before being cleared for sale by Kingfisher.
The devices come with a 12-month warranty, a charging cable and Belong SIM card with $80 credit toward one of Diet Telstra’s carbon-neutral mobile plans. We call Belong ‘Diet Telstra’ because Belong uses the Telstra network. Belong’s plans are very no-frills when compared to Telstra’s. The only perks you get are data rollover and the ability to gift data to any other Belong customer. But they’re of course cheaper.
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Belong bills itself as Australia’s first carbon-neutral mobile and internet provider, which is why the launch of the Second Life Shop comes as no real surprise.
“Belong believes that internet and mobile services should be straightforward and shouldn’t cost the earth, and is working towards making our world a more inclusive place – by giving Australians the tools to belong in today’s digital world,” Belong said.
At the time of publishing, you can find an Apple iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, X, XR and XS, as well as Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Ultra, S20+, S21 Ultra and an S20 FE on the Second Life Shop up for sale.
“Every year, the world throws away about 44.7 million tonnes of electronic trash. That includes a whole lot of perfectly good phones. They’ll do a lot more good in your hands than landfill or someone’s dusty cupboard. Garbage piles can’t use group chats, after all,” Belong said.
Every little bit counts.