The Central European Review o f Economics And Management, 2(4), 7. doi: 10.29015/cerem.723

Life cycle extension of mobile phones. An exploration with focus on the end-consumer

Odette Penners1, Allard C.R. van RIEL2, Wim Lambrechts3, and Michael Pecht4

1 Maastricht University, The Netherlands
2 Hasselt University, Belgium
3 Open University of The Netherlands
4 Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

Abstract:

All mobile phones will eventually become obsolete and should be collected and recycled in order to recover their high content of both dangerous and valuable materials. End-consumers play a key role in these processes as the collection and recycle systems cannot work properly without their contribution. Therefore, this exploratory study investigates how Dutch end-consumers can be stimulated to return their used mobile phones. The factors influencing consumers’ propensity to return and recycle obsolete mobile phones are examined. The results are based on a survey conducted among end consumers of mobile phones in the Netherlands. There is significant recycling potential as the majority of used mobile phones are simply kept at home. Keeping a used phone as a spare phone and being afraid of privacy disclosures are indicated as main reasons for not taking used phones to a recycling point. The findings indicate that personal satisfaction from recycling and knowledge or awareness of the potential dangers from not properly returning play a crucial role in influencing the propensity.

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