Europe's smartphone drawers hold billions in critical raw materials

Millions of unused smartphones are sitting in household drawers across Europe, containing significant quantities of critical raw materials. A study by Fraunhofer Austria indicates that in the Czech Republic alone, approximately 16.5 million unused smartphones are stored in homes. Of these, 5.2 million could potentially be refurbished, while 11.3 million are suitable for recycling.

The value of the raw materials within the Czech devices is estimated at roughly 27.6 million euros. On a European scale, the potential is much larger: out of an estimated 642 million unused phones, the contained metals are valued at over 1.5 billion euros. This includes significant amounts of cobalt, tin, tungsten, and gold.

Despite the potential for reducing Europe's dependence on imported strategic resources, recycling remains economically challenging due to the high costs of collection, sorting, and processing. Experts from Asekol suggest that only about five to ten percent of old phones actually reach recycling systems. While Eurostat data shows 18 percent of Czechs declare they recycle old mobiles, actual participation rates are estimated to be much lower.