Recycle and turn old mobile phones into treasure

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Accelerating product upgrading is an important measure to promote high-quality development, and it is necessary to encourage and guide a new round of large-scale equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-in." ”

　　In March, the State Council issued the "Action Plan for Promoting Large-scale Equipment Renewal and Consumer Goods Trade-in", making arrangements for large-scale equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-in, and proposing to "accelerate the development of 'replacement + recycling' logistics system and new models". Subsequently, 14 departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, issued the "Action Plan for Promoting the Trade-in of Consumer Goods", which clarified the specific tasks of trade-in of consumer goods.

　　In order to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, all regions and relevant departments are promoting a new round of large-scale equipment renewal and trade-in of consumer goods. In the consumer goods market, mobile phones occupy an important position and are one of the most frequently used electronic products in people's daily lives. According to data from the China Materials Recycling Association, the mainland produces an average of 600 million to 700 million waste mobile phones every year, and there is a broad space to promote the trade-in and recycling of mobile phones.

　　What is the importance of promoting mobile phone recycling? What are the remaining difficulties? What are the new expectations of consumers and businesses? Recently, the reporter has carried out investigations and interviews in a number of cities.

　　During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the total number of idle mobile phones in mainland China will reach 6 billion, and the potential value of second-hand mobile phones will exceed 600 billion yuan

　　"The old mobile phone was recycled and sold for more than 1,000 yuan, and I felt very surprised." Su Li, a consumer in Yangpu District, Shanghai, said that after opening the second-hand idle trading platform and filling in the model and performance configuration of the old mobile phone on the old phone recycling page, staff soon came to the door. After testing the phone's battery, function, screen appearance, etc., the staff and Su Li agreed on the recycling price of the mobile phone, and the payment for the old mobile phone was received in real time.

　　According to data released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the overall shipments of mobile phones in the domestic market will total 289 million units in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 6.5%. According to data from the China Materials Recycling Association, the average lifespan of a mobile phone is about 1.9 years, and the average annual production of 600 million to 700 million waste mobile phones in the mainland is about 200 million to 300 million. With the gradual shortening of the mobile phone renewal cycle, the amount of mobile phone scrap is increasing. According to industry data, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the total number of idle mobile phones in mainland China will reach 6 billion, and the potential value of second-hand mobile phones will exceed 600 billion yuan.

　　Where do used mobile phones go? Yu Keli, secretary-general of the China Materials Recycling Association, said that there are currently three ways to recycle waste mobile phones: those in good condition will be sold in the second-hand market after repair and refurbishment; If the damage is serious, the whole machine will be disassembled, and the disassembled chips and electronic components can be used for maintenance and reuse; There are also some old mobile phones that are disassembled, and the parts and components cannot be fully utilized, and they are disassembled and broken for material recycling to refine the recycled materials and rare and precious metals in them.

　　The recycling of used mobile phones has a huge potential market and is of great significance to the high-quality development of the economy and society.

　　——The more smooth recycling of used mobile phones is conducive to stimulating more demand for replacement and promoting enterprises to accelerate innovation.

　　On April 20, the reporter came to a digital product store in Chaoyang District, Beijing. On the weekend, many consumers came to learn about and buy new mobile phones, and a considerable proportion of consumers asked if there was a "trade-in" promotion. "Judging from the sales in April, more than 50% of customers bought new mobile phones through the 'trade-in' method." Staff Li Hang introduced that the store provides consumers with a one-stop "trade-in" service, according to the model of the old mobile phone, the service life, etc., consumers can deduct a few hundred yuan to several thousand yuan when buying a new mobile phone. "After learning that the old mobile phone can be deducted from the payment, many consumers have increased their enthusiasm to buy a new mobile phone." Li Hang said.

　　"The recycling of used mobile phones is of great significance to stimulate greater vitality of mobile phone consumption." Hong Yong, an associate researcher at the Institute of E-commerce of the Ministry of Commerce, said that better promoting the recycling of waste mobile phones and launching the "old for new" service can generate more effective demand, while encouraging mobile phone brands to further accelerate innovation and promote the mobile phone market to achieve a higher level of dynamic balance between supply and demand.

　　The trade-in drove a 100% increase in new product sales, which is the report card handed over by JD.com's 3C digital products such as mobile phones in 2023. JD.com has realized the "online + offline" omni-channel integration of old mobile phone recycling, consumers can choose a one-stop trade-in method on the mobile phone product detail page, get a deductible estimated amount by clicking on the "old phone evaluation" process, and recycle the old phone while sending the new phone. When buying 3C products on JD.com, you can also realize up to 6 cross-category trade-in services, and idle waste mobile phones, computers, home appliances and other electronic products can be easily deducted and discounted.

　　JD.com and the China Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association jointly released the "3C Digital Trade-in Service Report", which believes that consumers are increasingly favoring trade-in when purchasing 3C products such as mobile phones and computers, which has led to the shortening of the replacement cycle of electronic products, effectively increasing sales for brands, and promoting more brands to accelerate innovation.

　　-- The recycling of used mobile phones is more smooth, which is conducive to promoting green and environmentally friendly consumption.

　　Walking into a second-hand mobile phone store in Qinyun Community, Huangqiao Town, Taixing City, Jiangsu Province, many young people came to buy second-hand mobile phones. "The store has a full range of used mobile phones. After taking into account various factors such as the brand, age and newness of the mobile phone, we will give a reasonable price. Xu Jie, the owner of the store, said that relying on clear pricing standards, rich product categories and transparent trading information, the store has attracted many young consumers, with 86% of users under the age of 30 being patronized.

　　Not only in the traditional offline community scene, but also the emerging second-hand mobile phone trading platform has gradually formed a scale. According to Wang Yongliang, CEO of ATRenew Group, in 2023, the trading volume of second-hand goods on ATRenew Group's whole platform will be 32.3 million, most of which are second-hand mobile phones, and the first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou have a large amount of mobile phone recycling, while the sinking market is the main inflow of second-hand mobile phones.

　　"Most of the old mobile phones that are recycled are used for secondary sales. After quality inspection, grading and privacy clearance, the products with better quality and newer models are sold to C-end consumers, and quality assurance and after-sales service are provided; For electronic products that cannot be reused, we cooperate with qualified disposal institutions to carry out environmentally friendly disposal of waste mobile phones. Wang Yongliang said.

　　——The recycling of used mobile phones is more smooth, which is conducive to optimizing the use of resources.

　　"If you use your old phone well, it's a 'treasure', and if you don't use it well, it will not only bring waste, but also pollution." Liu Jianguo, director of the Institute of Solid Waste Control and Resource Utilization at Tsinghua University's School of Environment, said.

　　For used mobile phones that can no longer be used, through formal disassembly, sorting, refining and reuse, it can generate high added value. "30%-40% of the total mass of a mobile phone is all kinds of metal materials, including gold, silver, palladium and other precious metals; 40%-50% is plastic; The rest is made of other materials, such as glass, ceramics, etc. Yu Keli introduced that the scientific environmentally sound treatment and efficient resource utilization of waste mobile phones have significant economic and social benefits, and are of great significance to the high-quality development of the economy and society.

　　Ensure data and information security, unify price standards, integrate recycling channels, and let idle mobile phones "turn".

　　On the dismantling line of used mobile phones, the staff is dismantling and classifying the parts of each mobile phone, and different types of parts are processed in different ways, and finally formed materials that can be reused after crushing, separation, refining and other processes.

　　Weixiang Environmental Technology Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is an enterprise specializing in recycling and processing electronic waste. "We dismantle and shred e-waste in a refined manner, using physical and chemical techniques to recycle raw materials such as precious metals, metals and non-metals, which can also be used to make new products. The whole process is environmentally friendly and pollution-free. Wang Yizhong, general manager of the company, said that through this method, valuable ingredients can be extracted to the greatest extent, and the security of consumers' personal information and the intellectual property rights of manufacturers can be effectively protected.

　　"Generally speaking, from the perspective of the generation of electronic waste in the whole society, about 70% of the waste is generated at the consumer end, and about 30% of the waste is generated from the enterprise side. At present, the mobile phones we handle are mainly from manufacturers, brands and other enterprises, and the waste mobile phones collected directly from consumers are very limited. Wang Yizhong said.

　　The recycling value of waste mobile phones is huge, but from the perspective of the whole society, its recycling rate has been low. According to Yu Keli, at present, about 50% of the waste mobile phones in the mainland are idle and retained, and 20% will be reused, while about 30% of them enter the recycling channels through free recycling, sales, trade-in, disposal, etc., of which the proportion of recycling through consumer channels is small.

　　Concerns about data and information security have led to "not daring to sell".

　　"When we ran the market, we found that many consumers don't want to dispose of old mobile phones, but there are too many personal privacy information in mobile phones, such as binding bank cards, social software, shopping software, etc., and storing all kinds of account data and consumption records, which makes many people worry when selling idle mobile phones. It can be said that data and information security has become the biggest reason affecting users to dispose of waste mobile phones. Xu Jie said.

　　Second-hand mobile phone trading platforms and waste mobile phone recycling companies use a variety of methods to eliminate the hidden dangers of data leakage. At the quality inspection center of Zhuan Zhuan Group in Qingdao, Shandong Province, the warehouse is full of second-hand mobile phones from all over the country. After the second re-inspection, the staff will use self-developed software to program data erasure for each mobile phone. Mobile phones that have been tested and confirmed to meet the requirements will be resold through offline stores or online markets.

　　Doubts about the standard system such as price lead to "reluctance to sell".

　　Wang Ning, who works for a company in Beijing, had an unpleasant experience of reselling old mobile phones. She wanted to sell her unused mobile phone to a second-hand mobile phone trading platform. After uploading various mobile phone information and pictures, the platform evaluated the mobile phone, and Wang Ning was quite satisfied with the valuation, so he sent the mobile phone to the platform. Unexpectedly, after receiving the mobile phone, the platform replied that the mobile phone was not consistent with the previous description, and the price would be reduced by 1/3. "I can't accept the price. When I sent my phone back, I found that it had been disassembled. Wang Ning said that not only the price is not standardized, but the transaction process cannot be guaranteed, and he does not dare to sell old mobile phones anymore.

　　"The imperfect price system and inconsistent industry testing standards are also another important factor that causes users to be reluctant to dispose of idle mobile phones." Wang Yongliang said that taking the traditional recycling industry as an example, the lack of unified quality inspection and pricing standards in the recycling process, and the lack of transparent information have caused many consumers to be reluctant to sell. Therefore, the development and implementation of general evaluation and appraisal standards, and the clarification of core evaluation indicators such as appearance, performance, and service life of second-hand mobile phones, can enhance the credibility of the industry and protect the rights and interests of consumers. ATRenew has developed a standardized product evaluation system with 38 quality inspection standards and 36 quality inspection levels, which is currently providing reference for 600,000 merchants in the industry chain.

　　Scattered recycling channels lead to "can't be sold".

　　"At present, the recycling channels of used mobile phones are not complete and standardized." Wang Yunli, vice chairman of China Renewable Resources Development Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Supply and Marketing Group, said that the current recycling channels for used mobile phones mainly include mobile phone manufacturers, second-hand mobile phone recyclers, distributors and repairers. Online recycling channels are affected by factors such as information asymmetry and estimated price asymmetry, and the recycling volume is limited. Most of the offline recycling outlets are in first-tier cities or provincial capitals, and there is a lack of recycling outlets in third- and fourth-tier cities and counties and cities.

　　Recycling channels are constantly improving. By the end of 2022, Huawei's global recycling system had expanded to 2,000 recycling centers, covering nearly 50 countries and regions. Jiangxi Pingxiang Anyuan District Wangyou Technology Co., Ltd. has built a multilingual "Internet +" consulting and trading service platform, on which customers can publish "purchasing" and "supply" information, and enterprises will come to recycle after placing orders, so as to solve problems such as channels and prices for upstream and downstream resource recovery enterprises; Relying on the "Internet + recycling" model, Xianyu provides mobile phone users with three forms of services, including door-to-door recycling, store recycling, and mail recycling, and the service has covered 100 cities, which can achieve face-to-face quality inspection; ATRenew has established an online and offline recycling network, cooperating with e-commerce platforms and mobile phone manufacturers, operating 1,819 stores in 268 cities across the country, and providing users with combined recycling services such as door-to-door recycling, express delivery, and self-service recycling.

　　Improve the recycling network system, improve the industry standard system, guide technological innovation, and promote the steady development of the waste mobile phone market

　　Turning waste into treasure and recycling of used mobile phones involves all parties such as governments, enterprises, social organizations and consumers. In order to solve the "pain points" that affect the recycling of waste mobile phones, various regions, departments and business entities have actively increased exploration and innovation, implemented comprehensive policies and made concerted efforts to cultivate new growth points for the development of the industry.

　　Improve the recycling network system and build a closed-loop industrial chain for the waste mobile phone industry.

　　"In recent years, the recycling system of manufacturers and brands has been basically established, but the social recycling system is not perfect enough. More people should understand the value of recycling used mobile phones, as well as the importance of resource conservation and environmental protection, and strive to build and improve the recycling system of the whole society. Wang Yizhong said.

　　"In order to solve the problems of long transaction chain, multiple transaction levels and low industry efficiency, it is necessary to build a closed loop of the integrated industrial chain of 'recycling-disposal-sales'." Wang Yongliang suggested that in the front-end recycling stage, it is necessary to provide consumers with convenient recycling channels; In the mid-end quality inspection and grading stage, it is necessary to establish a standard system to carry out high-efficiency and high-precision quality inspection of second-hand mobile phones; In the sales stage, establish after-sales guarantee for second-hand mobile phone transactions and data erasure services for old phones to ensure consumers' shopping experience and information security.

　　The gradual implementation of the extended producer responsibility system is crucial. "Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) means that the responsibility assumed by the producer extends not only to the production of the product, but also to the entire life cycle of the product, especially the recycling and recycling stage of the product after consumption." Liu Jianguo introduced that the production enterprises will be included in the construction of the recycling system, the recovery rate target is formulated, and the production enterprises are encouraged to use the existing sales and maintenance channels to build their own construction, joint construction or entrust a professional third party to build a recycling network system, which can reduce the burden of government subsidies, and at the same time force manufacturers to improve the easy recycling and recyclability of waste mobile phones through ecological design and green production.

　　"Since 2021, Huawei has continued to launch a one-stop trade-in program in China, allowing consumers to recycle their old devices and get new ones at the same time, and data migration is also convenient." According to Huawei staff, since 2015, Huawei has rejuvenated about 780,000 devices and extended their service life by tradeping in old ones.

　　Strengthen government supervision and establish and improve the industry standard system.

　　"At present, there are no specific regulations for the market management of used mobile phone recycling. It is necessary to strengthen government supervision, and issue corresponding technical specifications and industry standards for the classification, identification, sorting, information destruction, maintenance, dismantling, component reuse, material utilization, rare and precious metal extraction and other links involved in the waste mobile phone recycling industry, and manage the whole process of recycling and processing of scrapped mobile phones. Yu Keli suggested.

　　Xie Juan, deputy director of the sustainable development department of vivo, suggested that the state should introduce relevant norms and standards for the recycling of waste mobile phones, such as standards for refurbished phones to return to the circulation field and standards for recycled parts, so as to promote the healthy development of the industry.

　　As the largest second-hand trading market in China, Shenzhen has issued a local "Second-hand Mobile Phone Trading Specification". In view of the problems of opaque second-hand mobile phone transaction information and lack of consumer confidence, the "Second-hand Mobile Phone Transaction Specification" regulates the recycling management, maintenance management, quality inspection, privacy data protection, after-sales service and other processes of second-hand mobile phones, so as to realize the digitization and standardization of second-hand mobile phone transactions.

　　Guide technological innovation and improve the professional and comprehensive processing capacity of used mobile phones.

　　Experts suggest that the centralized and efficient treatment of waste mobile phones should be strengthened, and professional waste mobile phone recycling enterprises should be encouraged and guided to become the main body, so as to scientifically carry out environmentally sound treatment and efficient resource utilization of waste mobile phones, and enhance the professional treatment capacity of waste mobile phones in the mainland.

　　"Large-scale, automated, and intelligent dismantling methods are more efficient in resource recovery and more environmentally friendly. For example, the use of intelligent robots and automation equipment to disassemble mobile phones can accurately identify each part of the mobile phone and carry out fine disassembly, maximize the recovery of valuable resources, improve the efficiency of disassembly, and reduce the impact on the environment during the dismantling process. At the same time, an information management system should be established to monitor and manage the entire process of mobile phone disassembly, realize the traceability and manageability of data, improve the transparency and safety of the dismantling process, and provide a basis for the implementation of the extended producer responsibility system. Liu Jianguo said.

　　Cai Haizhen, Secretary-General of the Electronic Waste Recycling Branch of the China Renewable Resources Recycling Association, believes that the recycling of used mobile phones to improve quality and efficiency is a process of joint efforts of all parties. Only through policy guidance, market construction, technological progress, standard improvement, green concept promotion and other efforts can we promote the steady development of the waste mobile phone market and achieve resource utilization and environmental protection.

Source: People's Daily

Editor: Intern Zeng Pengde