A critical analysis of the sustainability of mobile phone use

Annarita Paiano, Giovanni Lagioia and Andrea Cataldo

Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2013, vol. 73, issue C, 162-171

Abstract: In the last twenty years, there has been a sharp increase in the consumption of commodities with a short life-cycle. This is especially true for electronic equipment such as mobile phones, which are the focus of this paper. The short lifespan, which is due to continually substituting obsolete equipment with newer and more innovative models, has stimulated the growth in sales of these electronic goods. Europe continues to be the main mobile phone market in developed countries, but this growth has slowed down over the last two years. Despite being an already mature market, Italy has a “diffusion rate” (i.e., the number of active lines per 100 inhabitants) higher than 146, which is the highest in the European Union.

Keywords: Mobile phones; Usage patterns; Energy use; Resources consumption; End-of-life devices; Sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:recore:v:73:y:2013:i:c:p:162-171

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.02.008

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