The hibernating mobile phone: Dead storage as a barrier to efficient electronic waste recovery
Open accessAbstract
Hibernation, the dead storage period when a mobile phone is still retained by the user at its end-of-life, is both a common and a significant barrier to the effective flow of time-sensitive stock value within a circular economic model. In this paper we present the findings of a survey of 181 mobile phone owners, aged between 18-25years old, living and studying in the UK, which explored mobile phone ownership, reasons for hibernation, and replacement motives. This paper also outlines and implements a novel mechanism for quantifying the mean hibernation period based on the survey findings. The results show that only 33.70% of previously owned mobile phones were returned back into the system. The average duration of ownership of mobile phones kept and still in hibernation was 4years 11months, with average use and hibernation durations of 1year 11months, and 3years respectively; on average, mobile phones that are kept by the user are hibernated for longer than they are ever actually used as primary devices. The results also indicate that mobile phone replacement is driven primarily by physical (technological, functional and absolute) obsolescence, with economic obsolescence, partly in response to the notion of being 'due an upgrade', also featuring significantly. We also identify in this paper the concept of a secondary phone, a recently replaced phone that holds a different function for the user than their primary phone but is still valued and intentionally retained by the user, and which, we conclude, should be accounted for in any reverse logistics strategy.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Barriers such as reluctance to accept secondhand products, outdated technology, desire for up-to-date devices, smartphone storage, and inappropriate disposal methods are considered significant.
“Customer awareness: Barriers such as a reluctance to accept secondhand products, outdated technology, and having a desire for up-to-date devices [53], as well as smartphone storage and inappropriate disposal methods, are also considered significant [54].”
From Unveiling Environmental Potential in Smartphone Repair Practices in Vientiane Capital, Laos (2025) · cites this paper as [53]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Taylor, K. M. G., Nettleton, S., & Harding, G. (2010) · Taylor & Francis eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203381175_chapter_9 · Cited by 14,635 · see citing works
Cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things
Braungart, M., & McDonough, W. F. (2002) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.40-0914 · Cited by 3,850 · see citing works
Natural Capitalism : Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
Hawken, P., Lovins, A. B., & Lovins, L. H. (1999) · Cited by 1,729 · see citing works
Robson, C., & McCartan, K. (2016) · UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) · Cited by 1,319 · see citing works
India, M. G. H. (2014) · Cited by 876 · see citing works
The SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods
Fielding, N., Lee, R. M., & Blank, G. (2008) · SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks · doi:10.4135/9780857020055 · Cited by 636 · see citing works
Emotionally Durable Design: Objects, Experiences and Empathy
Chapman, J. (2015) · Cited by 402 · see citing works
E-Waste Recycling: Where Does It Go from Here?
Zhang, K., Schnoor, J. L., & Zeng, E. Y. (2012) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es303166s · Cited by 388 · see citing works
Inadequate Life?Evidence of Consumer Attitudes to Product Obsolescence
Cooper, T. (2004) · Journal of Consumer Policy · doi:10.1007/s10603-004-2284-6 · Cited by 359 · see citing works
The economics of cell phone reuse and recycling
Geyer, R., & Blass, V. D. (2009) · The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology · doi:10.1007/s00170-009-2228-z · Cited by 319 · see citing works
Packard, V. (1960) · Cited by 311 · see citing works
Management and recycling of electronic waste
Tanskanen, P. (2013) · Acta Materialia · doi:10.1016/j.actamat.2012.11.005 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
Darby, L., & Obara, L. (2005) · Resources, Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2004.09.002 · Cited by 250 · see citing works
Survey and analysis of consumers' behaviour of waste mobile phone recycling in China
Yin, J., Gao, Y., & Xu, H. (2014) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.10.006 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
Ylä-Mella, J., Keiski, R. L., & Pongrácz, É. (2015) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2015.02.031 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Sustainability through remanufacturing in India: a case study on mobile handsets
Rathore, P., Kota, S., & Chakrabarti, A. (2011) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.06.016 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
Design for (Emotional) Durability
Chapman, J. (2009) · Design Issues · doi:10.1162/desi.2009.25.4.29 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Lifespan of Commodities, Part I
Murakami, S., Oguchi, M., Tasaki, T., Daigo, I., & Hashimoto, S. (2010) · Journal of Industrial Ecology · doi:10.1111/j.1530-9290.2010.00250.x · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Longer Lasting Products. Alternatives to the Throwaway Society
(2011) · Journal of Product & Brand Management · doi:10.1108/10610421111181877 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Estimation of end of life mobile phones generation: The case study of the Czech Republic
Polák, M., & Drápalová, L. (2012) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2012.03.028 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Analysis of material and energy consumption of mobile phones in China
Yu, J., Williams, E., & Ju, M. (2010) · Energy Policy · doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2010.03.041 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Breaking the disposable technology paradigm
Huang, E. M., & Truong, K. N. (2008) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/1357054.1357110 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Redefining scope: the true environmental impact of smartphones?
Suckling, J., & Lee, J. (2015) · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment · doi:10.1007/s11367-015-0909-4 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Self-citationGreening academia: use and disposal of mobile phones among university students
Ongondo, F. O., & Williams, I. D. (2011) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2011.01.031 · Cited by 122 · cited 5× · see citing works
“…UK undergraduate and postgraduate study in 2014/15 (Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2016)), this would suggest a projected quantity of 3.85 million phones hibernated by UK higher education students only; a figure not too dissimilar to the 3.7 million as projected by Ongondo and Williams (2011).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialStEP Task Force ReCycle Unu Empa (2009) · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Management of used & end-of-life mobile phones in Korea: A review
Jang, Y.-C., & Kim, M. (2010) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.07.003 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Hanks, K., Odom, W., Roedl, D., & Blevis, E. (2008) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/1357054.1357111 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Shared responsibility for managing electronic waste: A case study of Maine, USA
Wagner, T. P. (2009) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2009.06.015 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Creating an economic infrastructure for sustainable product design
Cooper, T. (1999) · Nottingham Trent University's Institutional Repository (Nottingham Trent Repository) · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Sustainable consumption and resource management in the light of life cycle thinking
Mont, O., & Bleischwitz, R. (2007) · European Environment · doi:10.1002/eet.434 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Re-evaluating Obsolescence and Planning for It
Burns, B. (2016) · doi:10.4324/9781315592930-11 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
The Significance of Product Longevity
Cooper, T. (2016) · Nottingham Trent University's Institutional Repository (Nottingham Trent Repository) · doi:10.4324/9781315592930-9 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
The Durable Use of Consumer Products
Kostecki, M. M. (1998) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-2819-4 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
5 International Cartels in Business History
Kudō, A. (2018) · Amsterdam University Press eBooks · doi:10.1515/9781898823704-010 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Prospects for household appliances
Cooper, T., & Mayers, K. (2000) · Nottingham Trent University's Institutional Repository (Nottingham Trent Repository) · Cited by 32 · see citing works
A practical approach to the ecological lifetime optimization of electronic products
van Nes, N., Cramer, J., & Stevels, A. L. N. (1999) · International Symposium on Environmentally Conscious Design and Inverse Manufacturing (EcoDesign) · doi:10.1109/ecodim.1999.747592 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Elementary analysis of mobile phones for optimizing end-of-life scenarios
Takahashi, K., Tsuda, M., Nakamura, J., Otabe, K., Tsuruoka, M., Matsuno, Y., & Adachi, Y. (2009) · IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology · doi:10.1109/issst.2009.5156682 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Product Durability and Re-Take after Use
Stahel, W. R. (1998) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-2819-4_2 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Chancerel, P., & Rotter, V. S. (2009) · Revue de Métallurgie · doi:10.1051/metal/2009087 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Chancerel, P., & Rotter, V. S. (2009) · IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology · doi:10.1109/issst.2009.5156718 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Extending product lifetimes through WEEE reuse and repair: Opportunities and challenges in the UK
Cole, C., Cooper, T., & Gnanapragasam, A. (2016) · Electronics Goes Green · doi:10.1109/egg.2016.7829857 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Durability, Function and Performance
Stahel, W. R. (2016) · doi:10.4324/9781315592930-16 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Mayers, K. (2001) · Brunel University Research Archive (BURA) (Brunel University London) · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Single product, multi-lifetime components: challenges for Product-Service System development
Wilson, G. T., Bridgens, B., Hobson, K., Lee, J., Lilley, D., Scott, J., & Suckling, J. (2015) · Loughborough University Institutional Repository (Loughborough University) · doi:10.25405/ncl.34250124 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationWhat Is ‘Value’ and How Can We Capture It from the Product Value Chain?
Lee, J., Suckling, J. R., Lilley, D., & Wilson, G. T. (2016) · Ecoproduction · doi:10.1007/978-981-10-0471-1_20 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Hibernating Mobile Phone DATA
Wilson, G., Grace, S., Suckling, J. R., Lilley, D., Lee, J., & Mawle, R. (2016) · Figshare · doi:10.17028/rd.lboro.4062744 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
4 of the 50 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2012. RE: A Review of National Resource Strategies and Research.
- Hanks, K., Odom, W., Roedl, D., Blevis, E., 2008. Sustainable Millenials: Attitudes towards Sustainability and the Material Effects of Interactive Technologies. CHI 2008, April 5-10, 2008, Florence, Italy.
- Jackson, T., 2005. Motivating Sustainable Consumption: A Review of Evidence on Consumer Behaviour and Behavioural Change, a Report to the Sustainable Development Research Network. Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey.
- Stahel, W., Reday, G., 1976/1981. Jobs for Tomorrow, the Potential for Substituting Manpower for Energy: Report to the Commission of the European Communities. Vantage Press, New York.
- Which?, 2015. Millions of Pounds Wasted Paying for Mobiles People Already Own [Online] Available: <https://press.which.co.uk/whichpressreleases/millions-of- pounds-wasted-paying-for-mobiles-people-already-own/> (Accessed 9 May 2016).
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Design for Circular Behaviour: Considering Users in a Circular Economy
Wastling, T., Charnley, F., & Moreno, M. (2018) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su10061743 · Cited by 264 · see citing works
Bakhiyi, B., Gravel, S., Ceballos, D. M., Flynn, M. A., & Zayed, J. (2017) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2017.10.021 · Cited by 246 · see citing works
Wieser, H., & Tröger, N. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.106 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Seif, R., Salem, F. Z., & Allam, N. K. (2023) · Environment Development and Sustainability · doi:10.1007/s10668-023-02925-7 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
The afterlives of solar power: Waste and repair off the grid in Kenya
Cross, J., & Murray, D. (2018) · Energy Research & Social Science · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2018.04.034 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
‘Small stories of closing loops’: social circularity and the everyday circular economy
Hobson, K. (2019) · Climatic Change · doi:10.1007/s10584-019-02480-z · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Acerbi, F., Sassanelli, C., Terzi, S., & Taisch, M. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13042047 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Recovering materials from waste mobile phones: Recent technological developments
Гу, Ф., Summers, P. A., & Hall, P. (2019) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117657 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Toxicity evaluation of E-waste plastics and potential repercussions for human health
Singh, N. P., Duan, H., & Tang, Y. (2020) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.105559 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Islam, M. T., Dias, P., & Huda, N. (2020) · Journal of Environmental Management · doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111111 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Circular value creation architectures: Make, ally, buy, or laissez‐faire
Hansen, E. G., & Revellio, F. (2020) · Journal of Industrial Ecology · doi:10.1111/jiec.13016 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Systems of practice and the Circular Economy: Transforming mobile phone product service systems
Hobson, K., Lynch, N., Lilley, D., & Smalley, G. (2017) · Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions · doi:10.1016/j.eist.2017.04.002 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Self-citationZhang, L., Ran, W., Jiang, S., Wu, H., & Yuan, Z. (2021) · Resources Environment and Sustainability · doi:10.1016/j.resenv.2021.100027 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Rethinking residential consumers' behavior in discarding obsolete mobile phones in China
Tan, Q., Duan, H., Liu, L., Yang, J., & Li, J. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.244 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Closing the Loop on E‐waste: A Multidisciplinary Perspective
Bridgens, B., Hobson, K., Lilley, D., Lee, J., Scott, J. L., & Wilson, G. T. (2017) · Journal of Industrial Ecology · doi:10.1111/jiec.12645 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Self-citationSustainable product disposal: Consumer redistributing behaviors versus hoarding and throwing away
Sarigöllü, E., Hou, C., & Ertz, M. (2020) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.2624 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Chen, Y., Chen, M., Li, Y., Wang, B., Chen, S., & Xu, Z. (2018) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-25400-0 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Investigating the reasons for storage of WEEE by residents – a potential for removal from households
Nowakowski, P. (2019) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2019.02.008 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Repair of electronic products: Consumer practices and institutional initiatives
Sonego, M., Echeveste, M. E. S., & Debarba, H. G. (2022) · Sustainable Production and Consumption · doi:10.1016/j.spc.2021.12.031 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
What Affects the Secondhand Value of Smartphones: Evidence from eBay
Makov, T., Fishman, T., Chertow, M. R., & Blass, V. D. (2018) · Journal of Industrial Ecology · doi:10.1111/jiec.12806 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
A literature review on environmental concerns in logistics: trends and future challenges
Islam, M. S., Moeinzadeh, S., Tseng, M., & Tan, K. H. (2020) · International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications · doi:10.1080/13675567.2020.1732313 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Replaced too soon? An exploration of Western European consumers’ replacement of electronic products
Magnier, L., & Mugge, R. (2022) · Resources, Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106448 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Zhang, L., Qu, J., Sheng, H., Yang, J., Wu, H.-J., & Yuan, Z.-W. (2019) · Resources, Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.01.007 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Ni, Z., Chan, H. K., & Tan, Z. W. (2021) · International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications · doi:10.1080/13675567.2021.1993159 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Zufall, J., Norris, S., Schaltegger, S., Revellio, F., & Hansen, E. G. (2019) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118651 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Kasulaitis, B. V., Babbitt, C. W., & Krock, A. K. (2018) · Journal of Industrial Ecology · doi:10.1111/jiec.12756 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Cimprich, A., Young, S. B., Schrijvers, D., Ku, A. Y., Hagelüken, C., Christmann, P., Eggert, R. G., Habib, K., Hirohata, A., Hurd, A. J., et al. (2022) · Mineral Economics · doi:10.1007/s13563-022-00304-8 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Guzzo, D., Rodrigues, V. P., & Mascarenhas, J. (2020) · Technological Forecasting and Social Change · doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120414 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Shi, T., Huang, R., & Sarigöllü, E. (2022) · Journal of Environmental Management · doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114114 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Mashhadi, A. R., Vedantam, A., & Behdad, S. (2018) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.12.006 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Liu, J., Bai, X., Hao, J., Wang, H., Zhang, T., Tang, X. D., Wang, S., & He, Y. (2021) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2021.106017 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Casey, K., Lichrou, M., & Fitzpatrick, C. (2019) · Resources, Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.02.015 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Borthakur, A., & Singh, P. (2020) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-020-09030-6 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Kazançoğlu, Y., Pala, M. Ö., Özkan-Özen, Y. D., & Sağnak, M. (2020) · Journal of Enterprise Information Management · doi:10.1108/jeim-02-2020-0043 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Dewulf, J. P., Hellweg, S., Pfister, S., León, M. F. G., Sonderegger, T., Matos, C. T. D., Blengini, G. A., & Mathieux, F. (2021) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105403 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Prabhu N, S., & Majhi, R. (2023) · Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · doi:10.1177/0734242x221105429 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
How the reverse supply chain impacts the firm’s financial performance
Larsen, S. B., Masi, D., Feibert, D. C., & Jacobsen, P. (2018) · International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management · doi:10.1108/ijpdlm-01-2017-0031 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Archetypical consumer roles in closing the loops of resource flows for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods
Zeeuw van der Laan, A., & Aurisicchio, M. (2019) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.06.306 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Circular value chain blind spot – A scoping review of the 9R framework in consumption
Hunger, T., Arnold, M., & Ulber, M. (2024) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.140853 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
A framework to use product-service systems as plans to produce closed-loop resource flows
van der Laan, A. Z., & Aurisicchio, M. (2019) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119733 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
End-of-Use vs. End-of-Life: When Do Consumer Electronics Become Waste?
Ylä-Mella, J., Keiski, R. L., & Pongrácz, E. (2022) · Resources · doi:10.3390/resources11020018 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Guzzo, D., Rodrigues, V. P., Pigosso, D. C. A., & Mascarenhas, J. (2021) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2021.11.017 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Glöser‐Chahoud, S., Pfaff, M., Walz, R., & Schultmann, F. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.244 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Poppelaars, F., Bakker, C. A., & van Engelen, J. M. L. (2020) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su12041488 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
van den Berge, R., Magnier, L., & Mugge, R. (2023) · Journal of Industrial Ecology · doi:10.1111/jiec.13372 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Zhilyaev, D., Cimpan, C., Cao, Z., Liu, G., Askegaard, S., & Wenzel, H. (2020) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105117 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Haase, L. M., Mugge, R., Mosgaard, M., Bocken, N. M. P., Jaeger‐Erben, M., Pizzol, M., & Jørgensen, M. S. (2024) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107502 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Shailesh Prabhu, N., & Majhi, R. (2024) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2024.01.033 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Cobalt in end-of-life products in the EU, where does it end up? - The MaTrace approach
León, M. F. G., Blengini, G. A., & Dewulf, J. P. (2020) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104842 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
The role of consumers in the adoption of R-strategies: A review and research agenda
Zimmermann, R., Inês, A., Dalmarco, G., & Moreira, A. C. (2024) · Cleaner and Responsible Consumption · doi:10.1016/j.clrc.2024.100193 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Inghels, D., & Bahlmann, M. D. (2020) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105178 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Borthakur, A., & Singh, P. (2022) · Energy Ecology and Environment · doi:10.1007/s40974-022-00242-9 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Recovery of metallic copper from waste printed circuit boards via H3NO3S-NaCl-H2O2 leaching system
Guo, S., He, J., Zhu, L., Chen, H., Zhou, K., Xu, J., & Chen, Z. (2022) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131732 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Considerations for integrating wearables into the everyday healthcare practice
Powell, D., & Godfrey, A. (2023) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-023-00820-z · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Opportunities and challenges to increase circularity in the product's use phase
Silva, S., Barros, M. V., Radicchi, J. Â. Z., Puglieri, F. N., & Piekarski, C. M. (2024) · Sustainable Futures · doi:10.1016/j.sftr.2024.100297 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Litchfield, C. A., Lowry, R., & Dorrian, J. (2018) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0206890 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Ryan‐Fogarty, Y., Baldé, K., Wagner, M., & Fitzpatrick, C. (2023) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.106881 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Motivating consumer-to-business smartphone returns: Evidence from a factorial survey experiment
Ratay, C., & Mohnen, A. (2022) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133114 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Hibernating behavior for household personal computers
Kurisu, K., Miura, J., Nakatani, J., & Moriguchi, Y. (2020) · Resources, Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105015 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Li, J., Song, X., Yang, D., Li, B., & Lu, B. (2019) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118776 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Kramer, K. J., Abrahamsen, A. B., Beauson, J., Hansen, U. E., Clausen, N., Velenturf, A. P. M., & Schmidt, M. (2024) · Sustainable Production and Consumption · doi:10.1016/j.spc.2024.06.022 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Guarnieri, P., Silva, L. C. E., & Vieira, B. D. O. (2020) · Logistics · doi:10.3390/logistics4040025 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Jarrin Jacome, M. G., Godoy León, M. F., Freitas de Alvarenga, R., & Dewulf, J. P. (2013) · Resources · doi:10.3390/resources · Cited by 17 · see citing works
d’Almeida, F. S., de Carvalho, R. B., dos Santos, F. S., & de Souza, R. F. M. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13169181 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Circular Economy and Sustainable Production and Consumption
Shahzabeen, A., Ghosh, A., Pandey, B., & Shekhar, S. (2023) · Circular economy and sustainability · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-40304-0_3 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Nowakowski, P., Kuśnierz, S., Płoszaj, J., & Sosna, P. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su132212422 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Pouri, M. J., & Hilty, L. M. (2019) · Progress in IS · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-30862-9_8 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Amatuni, L., Yamamoto, T., Baldé, K., Clemm, C., & Mogollón, J. M. (2023) · Resources Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107103 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Automatic high-speed smartphone disassembly system
Ueda, T., Fukusawa, H., Nakagawa, Y., Nagano, K., Sunahara, N., Yamada, H., Fujisawa, J., Yamada, M., Koyanaka, S., & Oki, T. (2023) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.139928 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
The Consequences of Electronic Waste Post-Disaster: A Case Study of Flooding in Bonn, Germany
Leader, A. M., Gaustad, G. G., Tomaszewski, B. M., & Babbitt, C. W. (2018) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su10114193 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Haase, L. M., & Lythje, L. S. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su142215133 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
What drives individuals to dispose of waste mobile phones? A case study in Indonesia
Ardi, R., Iqbal, B. M., Sesarea, S., & Komarudin, K. (2020) · International Journal of Technology · doi:10.14716/ijtech.v11i3.3855 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Biases and nudges in the circular economy: A review
Congiu, L., Botta, E., & Zoli, M. (2025) · Ecological Economics · doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108579 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
For a good selfie. Enhancing mobile phone recycling through simulated exposure to cobalt mining
García‐Vázquez, E., Cartón, P., Domínguez, M., Rodríguez, N., Bustillos, A., & Dopico, E. (2020) · Sustainable Production and Consumption · doi:10.1016/j.spc.2020.09.012 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Pierron, X., Williams, I. D., & Shaw, P. J. (2021) · Detritus · doi:10.31025/2611-4135/2021.14062 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Martin, Y., Teng, Y., Deng, Z., & Yang, Z. (2022) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.3258 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
How the Dead Storage of Consumer Electronics Creates Consumer Value
Nøjgaard, M., Smaniotto, C., Askegaard, S., Cimpan, C., Zhilyaev, D., & Wenzel, H. (2020) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su12145552 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Quantifying WEEE arising in scrap metal collections: Method development and application in Ireland
Ryan‐Fogarty, Y., Coughlan, D., & Fitzpatrick, C. (2021) · Journal of Industrial Ecology · doi:10.1111/jiec.13101 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Uriarte-Ruiz, M. (2022) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133398 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Majale, C., Opinde, G. O., & Nygaard, I. (2024) · Energy Research & Social Science · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2024.103516 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Long-term retrospective analysis of the societal metabolism of cobalt in the European Union
León, M. F. G., Blengini, G. A., Matos, C. T., & Dewulf, J. P. (2022) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130437 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Kankanamge, C. E. (2022) · Circular Economy and Sustainability · doi:10.1007/s43615-022-00185-7 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Furthering Victor Papanek’s Legacy: A Personal Perspective
de Bont, C. J. P. M. (2021) · She ji · doi:10.1016/j.sheji.2020.08.010 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
How does obsolescence risk influence consumer resistance to smartwatches?
Açikgöz, F., Borulu, B., & Bölen, M. C. (2024) · Information Technology and People · doi:10.1108/itp-08-2023-0843 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Review of implementation of biogas technology in rural communities of South Africa
Rasimphi, T. E., Kilonzo, B., Tjale, M. M., Tinarwo, D., & Nyamukondiwa, P. (2024) · Cogent Social Sciences · doi:10.1080/23311886.2024.2419536 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Tracking the Fate of Aluminium in the EU Using the MaTrace Model
Jácome, G. J., León, M. F. G., Alvarenga, R. A. F., & Dewulf, J. P. (2021) · Resources · doi:10.3390/resources10070072 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Material system analysis: Functional and nonfunctional cobalt in the EU, 2012–2016
León, M. F. G., Matos, C. T. D., Konstantinos, G., Mathieux, F., & Dewulf, J. P. (2022) · Journal of Industrial Ecology · doi:10.1111/jiec.13281 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Milios, L., & Dalhammar, C. (2023) · Journal of Circular Economy · doi:10.55845/ahfr5526 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Soule, C. A. A., & Egea, J. M. O. (2024) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104036 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Champkins, M., & Bocken, N. M. P. (2025) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145505 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Introduction: Recycling Institutions
Nogueira, L. A., Sandersen, H. T., & Dale, B. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-81754-0_1 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Du, Y., Habuer, & Fujiwara, T. (2024) · Process Safety and Environmental Protection · doi:10.1016/j.psep.2024.08.101 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Life cycle extension of mobile phones: an exploration with focus on the end-consumer
Penners, O., Semeijn, J., van Riel, A. C. R., & Lambrechts, W. (2018) · The Central European Review of Economics and Management · doi:10.29015/cerem.723 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Recycling Approaches, Policies and Regulations on Electronic Waste With Special Focus on India
Borthakur, A., & Singh, P. (2019) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803581-8.10725-8 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Ni, Z., Zhang, Q., Hao, J. L., & Liu, X. (2024) · Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy · doi:10.1016/j.scp.2024.101660 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
How might Hospital at Home enable a greener and healthier future?
Powell, D., Burrows, F., Lewis, G., & Gilbert, S. (2024) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-024-01249-8 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Reaping What WEEE Sow: The potential for harvesting spare parts for repair and refurbishment
Richter, J. L., Svensson-Höglund, S., Frolov, T., Dalhammar, C. J., Thidell, Å., & Russell, J. D. (2021) · doi:10.31880/10344/10240 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Peony diagram modeling for improving the easy disassembly design of mobile electronic products
Huang, J., Cui, C., Jiang, W., & Zhu, L. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-85402-7 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Second-hand smartphones reduce carbon emissions, yet shorter use times limit actual gains
Amatuni, L., Clemm, C., Sprecher, B., Tukker, A., & Mogollón, J. M. (2026) · Communications Earth & Environment · doi:10.1038/s43247-025-03170-8 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Sung, K. K., Isherwood, P. J. M., & Moalosi, R. (2024) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781003380566 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
- Authors
- Wilson, G. T., Smalley, G., Suckling, J. R., Lilley, D., Lee, J., & Mawle, R.
- Affiliations
- Loughborough University (GB)
- University of Surrey (GB)
- University of the West of England (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Wilson, Garrath T.
- Venue
- Waste Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-02
- Volume
- 60
- Pages
- 521-533
- ISSN
- 0956-053X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2569949736
- Cited by
- 159
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 4 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 14.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Waste Management (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Loughborough University Institutional Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Surrey Research Insight Open Access (The University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
- Loughborough University Research Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/K026380/1)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Recycling and Waste Management Techniques
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management of Technology and Innovation › Transportation Systems and Infrastructure
- Keywords
- dead storage, mobile phone ownership, technological obsolescence, economic obsolescence, reverse logistics, circular economy
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, United Kingdom, Humans, Ownership, Surveys and Questionnaires, Models, Economic, Cell Phone, Young Adult, Electronic Waste
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
