Out of the Ground and Into Your Phone

Smartphones contain a bunch of minerals that are dug out of the ground, transported around the world, processed, and then many months later assembled into your phone. 

Check out the map below of where the main minerals a pulled out of the ground.

Of course, all the mining, transporting, processing, and manufacturing adds boat loads of carbon dioxide and equivalents into the atmosphere.

This is why buying a pre owned iPhone or used Samsung Galaxy, not only saves you money, but also saves the World. Each refurbished phone you buy saves a new one from being made, and saves the world more carbon dioxide being emitted. 

We think it is pretty cool that 80% of the world's manganese is mined in South Africa. Arguably, this could mean that 80% of the world's smartphones have in them manganese that was mined in South Africa. 

Go SA!