Getting connected to the circular economy

If you're buying a phone for yourself or a teen then consider opting for refurbished electronics — they're typically much cheaper and more sustainable

Pádraig Power, Refurbed marketing manager, and Gearóid McEvoy, Reforest Nation founder. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography

You can tell people about the environmental benefits of electronics recycling, you can show them the dire need for sustainability, and you can even sweeten the deal by planting a native tree for every device sold, but it can still be financial savings — the ‘what’s in it for me’ element — that get people over the line of buying a second-hand or refurbished device.

Pádraig Power, from west Limerick, is senior marketing manager of global operations at Refurbed, an online marketplace for refurbished goods which was founded in Austria in 2017 and set up here three years ago