Every new smartphone carries a carbon cost before it reaches your hand: mining and refining the materials, making the chips and screen, assembling it and shipping it around the world.
Where a phone’s carbon comes from
Apple publishes a life-cycle report for each iPhone. For the iPhone 17 (256GB) it puts the total life-cycle emissions at about 55 kg of CO₂e – and Apple itself says that the electricity used to make its products is the largest contributor to its overall carbon footprint. In other words, much of the impact happens in the factory, not in your pocket.
Using a phone longer is the simplest saving
When a good phone gets a second owner instead of sitting in a drawer or going to landfill, a new one doesn’t need to be made for that person. You get a capable device for less money, and the carbon already “spent” making it keeps working for longer.
What “refurbished” means at Techsite
- Every pre-owned device is checked before sale, with previous owners’ accounts removed and their data erased.
- Clear condition grades and the minimum battery health on each listing – see our grading guide.
- A 6-month Techsite warranty on pre-owned devices, on top of your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
- Want more life from a phone? Add a new battery when you buy selected models.
We’re a proudly Kiwi-owned business in Papakura, Auckland, and giving good devices a second life is what we do every day.
Source: Apple, iPhone 17 Product Environmental Report (September 2025).