Back Market Launches Mine My Phone to Drive 10-Year Device Standard

PARIS and NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Back Market, a leading global marketplace for refurbished technology, has launched a new platform called Mine My Phone to highlight the hidden costs of smartphone extraction. The platform aims to educate consumers about the environmental, human, and geopolitical impacts of the raw materials used in their devices, with the ultimate goal of driving support for a legally mandated 10-year device standard.

According to Back Market, a 200-gram smartphone requires more than 266 kilograms of raw material extraction, and globally, over 319 million tons of upstream materials are extracted annually to manufacture smartphones. This staggering amount of extraction is compounded by the typical 2- to 2.5-year upgrade cycle, leading to significant environmental and social impacts.

Back Market argues that keeping a smartphone in productive use for 10 years instead of the current average can avoid approximately 757 kilograms of raw material extraction per device. The company believes that a 10-year device standard, covering durability, repairability, and long-term software support, is a key lever to reduce the extraction demand driving these costs.

To build public awareness, Back Market has launched Mine My Phone, a public-interest platform that reveals the environmental, human, and geopolitical costs behind modern devices. The platform, inspired by Patagonia's Footprint Chronicles, is designed to educate consumers and create a starting point for public and regulatory debate.

The platform's findings from the Smartphone Extraction Gap Report, a global consumer research commissioned by Back Market, reveal that more than half of respondents cannot name a single raw material inside their smartphone. Only one in four feels confident they know what goes into a device, and seven in ten have never investigated where the materials in their devices come from. When informed that a single refurbished phone avoids approximately 243 kilograms of raw material extraction compared to manufacturing new, 49% said they would be more likely to buy refurbished.

Back Market's Executive Chairman, Thibaud Hug de Larauze, emphasized the need for transparency and education.

The company is calling for a 10-year device standard that requires manufacturers to design durable devices with 10-year software support and accessible, replaceable parts. Policymakers must enforce Right to Repair and prohibit design practices that artificially shorten devices' lifespans. Circular economy actors must expand trusted, verified refurbishment at scale.

Back Market is supporting device longevity legislation across its core markets, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The company is convening a coalition of manufacturers, policymakers, and circular economy actors to advance their ambition, with founding partners to be announced ahead of the Slow Tech Summit in Paris on October 15, 2026.

The summit will feature panels, workshops, and an exhibition revealing the extraction journey of new devices and the case for longevity, building the coalition for the 10-year device standard. Back Market aims to create a world that does more with what we already have by prolonging the lifespan of electronic devices through circularity and repair.