Is There Such Thing as a Sustainable Phone? Let’s find out!
My iPhone is on the brink. I’ve had it for 5 years, which is apparently eternity. The battery life is depleting, the storage is always maxed out, and it overheats quickly while in operation. Now is the time for me to research which phone I’m going to buy next before it’s too late, so I can be equipped with the knowledge of the least harmful tech companies.
I know, they’re pretty much all evil these days. So I want to find the least evil one, the one I feel the least bad about giving my money to.
Though that being said, I am going to try my darndest to find a phone secondhand.
While environmental sustainability will be my main criterion for judging these companies, we will also look at their ethics and use of AI and surveillance.
Apple’s iPhone
Sustainability
Okay, these next few bits of information are from Apple’s website, which should be taken with a grain of salt since they want to hype themselves up and make sales. They are known to greenwash in the past, so I am wary of these stats:
“More components in our products are now made with recycled materials, like 100% recycled cobalt in batteries.” Things to note: this says “recycled cobalt in batteries.” This is good news, but cobalt is used in other parts of the phone.
“In 2025, our Supplier Clean Energy Program generated more than 38 million megawatt-hours.”
“With just a few simple tools, it’s faster and easier than ever to remove and replace the iPhone battery.” Shoutout to the EU for this win! They have been on Apple for a while now demanding that they make their phones more repairable. Though Apple could be leaps and bounds better in this category, this is good to know moving forward with new iPhones. But I am curious about what this means for trading in old iPhones. I cracked…ran over…my iPhone in late 2023 and got it repaired in a small shop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I didn’t have the ability to get it sent to Apple since I was actively traveling. They replaced the screen with a non-Apple screen, which means that my trade-in value was lowered. Apple says that you can repair its devices, but actively punishes you when you do.
“We’ve invested in two dozen conservation and regenerative agriculture projects across six continents.” Ehh, I don’t see this as a huge climate win. I’m glad for any conservation efforts, absolutely, but Apple touting this isn’t the eco win they think it is. It’s the bare minimum, and they could do more.
They also now offer free recycling. You can ship old Apple products back to them, and they claim to recycle 200 devices per hour. Though I think this means that it is the potential.
Onto another source, Compare and Recycle, they bring up a glaring issue: overconsumption. Apple releases a new iPhone every single year. And these new iPhones aren’t much better than the previous ones. You’re paying for an upgrade you don’t need and not getting any new features in return. A perfectly operational device is being turned in for recycling when it could be used for years to come, and a new device is off the shelf that didn’t need to be created in the first place.
Apple also hardly mentioned their carbon footprint…which makes sense seeing these stats from Compare and Recycle. Apple surely isn’t proud of this: “79% of its total carbon emissions come from manufacturing alone, while another 29% is produced during product use.”
And, despite what Apple claims about repairability, they actively oppose Right to Repair legislation, which ensures customers have to buy new devices instead of repairing old ones. Not only this, but they have also admitted to partaking in planned obsolescence. They deliberately design their phones to last only a few years and make them worse and worse with each software update. It’s sick.
I give this a 3/10. Steps are being taken, but they are just doing it because of boycotts and social media backlash. They are not doing this because they actually care about the planet or their customers. They have come a long way in the last few years, but still have a long way to go before I believe that they are truly doing things sustainably. It’s still giving me greenwashing vibes.
Ethics
Note: what Apple does to its customers and its huge carbon footprint are also unethical. But let’s dive deeper.
According to Ethical Consumer, “The abuse at the Indian factory includes: restricted freedom of movement, substandard living conditions, restricted freedom of expression and isolation, and excessive production targets, among other issues. It is also claimed that migrant workers’ dormitories are designed to prevent unionisation, and they are heavily guarded, so activists are unable to contact the workers.
In China, a worker claimed that “because of the demand for Apple’s newest iPhone,” he was required to work very long hours and worked without a day off for two weeks. He described no prospect of retirement for migrants and a lack of access to benefits when out of work.
Apple has some policies to protect workers’ rights, but it doesn’t appear to adhere to them.”
This analysis didn’t even touch on the mining of precious metals contained in smartphones and other tech that I briefly cover in this video.
AI
If you’re anti-AI for the planet (more here) or because you want to avoid mass surveillance, you may wanna sit down for this one. Apple is advancing extremely fast with its AI. It’s worse than I thought.
If you have an older device, mark yourself safe from the AI takeover. If not, these devices will have Apple’s AI automatically built into them:
iPhone 15 Pro and newer
M1 iPad Air and iPad Pro and newer
M1 MacBooks and Macs and newer
Some features are available on Apple Watch Series 6 and later
What exactly does this AI entail? You can check out Apple’s website here for the full breakdown, but in summary:
Direct connection to ChatGPT through Siri
The ability for it to live translate your texts or phone calls into any language…that means it will be reading and listening to everything
The ability to take a photo and have it tell you about where you are and even give you shopping links for the items, bolstering consumerism
You can now also type to Siri (aka Chat) at any time, not just speak to it
“Smart replies” so you don’t have to actually talk to your friends anymore, it will do it for you
It will prioritize your texts and emails based on your pattern of life data
Built-in image generation
And the next generation of AirPods will include cameras designed solely to train AI and surveil your every surroundings
and more!
This sounds highly invasive and was truly my last straw when switching away from Apple.
Google Pixel
Sustainability
Well, each of Google’s phones has its own sustainability report. A whole PDF you have to download to read. This seems good on the surface, but if I’ve learned anything while researching brands over the years, when you see an over-the-top sustainability report, it really just means that the company had money to pay for this fancy-looking report, and rarely does it scream “this business cares about the planet.” But let’s dig into it, shall we?
They claim the following about the Pixel 10:
“Super-durable materials and 100% recycled spacecraft-grade aluminum.” This is just full of buzzwords and fancy-sounding words to make you think it’s special. Recycled aluminum is great, but cut to the chase.
“ Our goal is to make routine upkeep and part replacements straightforward so your phone can serve you better, for longer.” Great, but how? They don’t elaborate.
It’s “made with at least 32% recycled materials.” And they proudly tout that the product packaging is 100% plastic-free. What like it’s hard?
They are starting to use more recycled materials like gold and tungsten, among others.
It “incorporates power-management software to maximize battery-charging efficiency and extend battery life during use.”
I would once again like to thank the EU for holding this other tech giant accountable. Due to their standards, Google had to ensure their devices also meet health standards and don’t contain toxic materials. Not for their own morality, no, because it was change or be sued. Classic.
And then we have this page on their website that is just full of eco lingo that packs no punch and is so bare bones you can’t really glean anything from it. Dare I say, this is worse than Apple.
Ethics
The Good Shopping Guide claims “Google Pixel receives a low rating in the Human Rights and Other Criticisms categories, due to the numerous controversial activities the company has been involved in. This includes unethical practices such as complicity in genocide, irresponsible mineral sourcing, workers’ rights abuses, breaching competition laws, data security issues, and more.”
Here is the full list of criticisms about Google by ethical.org.
On top of this, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has also faced criticisms about their ethics over the years, too.
AI
And this is where I start to get more depressed about the situation. To be honest, Google’s AI isn’t much different from Apple’s. Here’s the gist:
Take a photo that you can show to Gemini which will tell you about the image and troubleshoot
It will listen to your phone calls to summarize, transcribe, and translate them. When it translates a voice call, it will use AI to manipulate your voice into the translated language.
Gemini is always in the background. No matter what app you’re using, you can circle an image or piece of text and Gemini will respond without leaving that app.
Pattern of life recognition: it will give you notifications based on what it learns you deem important and even sift through your apps to pull up information you may be looking for
Gemini Camera Coach: get the perfect photo, it says. I hear, let us do the creative work for you so you don’t have to learn anything for yourself
It can edit your photos
And more!
As tempted as I was by Google’s high-quality camera and massive storage options, this AI is nearly as bad as Apple’s, and I don’t want it on my devices.
Android
Well, I was today years old when I found out that Android operates on Google’s software…so I guess we can skip this one. See the section about Google to see the sustainability and ethics of an Android phone. I’m sure it’s a little different since Samsung makes the hardware, but I am just not interested in supporting Google in any way after what I just learned, so we are going to leave it at that.
Fairphone
I’ve heard so much about this phone over the years. Let’s get to the bottom of if it’s sustainable or not and if this is a phone I should legitimately consider as my next device.
Sustainability
Here’s what they have to say about their phones:
“Modular phones. Built to last. Made fair from the inside out. Longer lifecycles, smarter upgrades, and real progress with every new generation.”
They take back old devices, refurbish them, and sell them back as good as new! I’ve not seen other smartphones do this. You usually have to shop at a third party to get a refurbished iPhone or Pixel. Fairphone even gives you gift cardsfor recycling old devices.
They have a 5-year warranty and software protection for 8 years. Much longer than you’re expected to use competing phones
The battery lasts up to 2 days, using less energy between charges
I think the coolest part about the modular phone is that you can customize your phone to have a card case or phone grip built IN to the phone so you don’t have to buy a ton of specialized cases
100% Electronic Waste Neutral
They are a certified B-Corporation…which has been under scrutiny in recent years. Let me know if you’d like a deep dive on that!
Ethics
Here are some of their ethics claims from their website:
Made in Fair Factories
Supports better working conditions and living wages
Ethical consumer rates Fairphone excellently for ethics. They state that:
“Fairphone has mapped out many of its suppliers – from the factories producing components like batteries and even its packaging and labels, to the smelters and refiners processing vital metals and minerals such as tungsten and gold.”
“This level of public disclosure regarding a company’s supply chain is rare in any sector. Fairphone even has an interactive map on its website, which allows you to track the travel of different parts of its phone from suppliers, showing for example how plastics and gold ore are sent across the globe.”
“Fairphone states that it focuses on working with artisanal and small-scale mining.”
“Fairphone has also taken positive steps to ensure that it operates ethically in terms of its direct employees and finances.”
AI
I am incredibly sick of late-stage capitalism and these near monopolies. I cannot escape Google, even with this incredibly (otherwise) sustainable and ethical phone. Fairphone runs on the Android operating system and is proud to host Google’s Gemini on its devices. Great. Though Fairphone says you can turn it off at any time. We’ll explore that in a moment. Thankfully, much of what we discussed with Google’s Gemini is exclusive to the Pixel devices. That’s a relief. I was concerned about the invasiveness of Gemini on the Fairphone should I buy one.
But other AI features they are proud to boast in their base model include:
AI editing for photos
Gemini voice assistant by pressing the power button
Honestly, that’s it!
And they’ve stated that they are not currently working on a Fairphone-specific AI model and acknowledge the impacts of AI on the planet. I appreciate that it seems they just offer Gemini for folks who can’t seem to break away from AI but also aren’t pushing it down our throats, either.
While you can buy their regular Android OS device and turn off Gemini, you can also buy an entirely new Fairphone that runs on the e/OS by Murena. What does this entail?
De-googled device
All servers are hosted in Europe
It is still compatible with most apps
Heavy privacy focus
I appreciate this option and have emailed them to see what apps are and aren’t available on this device. Since I use my phone for business, I need to ensure I can access all of my necessary apps on this device before pulling the trigger.
So what’s the plan?
I’m extremely disappointed in the lack of choices. Sure, there are quite a few phone hardware manufacturers, but almost all of them operate with Google’s OS, Android. And even fewer still manufacture with any semblance of environmental concern.
Here is my plan:
Use my current phone literally until it dies. I will do whatever I can to improve my storage and battery situation and get as many more years out of it as possible
When the time comes, I will weigh my options. The most appealing to me are:
A refurbished iPhone 14…which will be ancient and maybe even obsolete by the time it comes to buying one. That’s because this will be the last iPhone that doesn’t have the Apple AI automatically built into it. I would stick with Apple since it is what I’m used to and the easiest to transfer my information to
A refurbished standard Fairphone, in which I would turn off Gemini
A refurbished e/OS Fairphone that I would hope would operate enough apps for me to use efficiently for work and school
Mark my words, Apple and Google aren’t getting another dime from me. Shopping refurbished is the way to go if you want to stay part of these tech ecosystems.
Let me know if there are other phone brands you’d like me to dive into. I considered Shift, but couldn’t get enough information about how well it operates, and also some Chinese carriers, but they are hard to operate in the US, don’t have sustainability claims, and also run off of Android so they didn’t check enough boxes for me.
What are you going to do moving forward?
Thanks for reading along. This was a long and sad one. I appreciate your time.
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
