Smartphones produce 85-95 percent of their carbon emissions in the production phase. The total annual carbon footprint of manufacturing mobile phones is equal to at least the annual carbon emissions of a small country.

Smartphones also contribute to about 10 percent of global e-waste, a number estimated to weigh more than 50 million metric tons in 2019. These streams are both highly polluting and highly wasteful: the potential value of raw materials in e-waste was valued at $57 million in 2019. Meanwhile, recycling rates across electronics stood at only 17 percent in 2019, meaning the vast majority of this value is not being reaped.