Latest news with #refurbishedTech
CNET
3 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Refurbished Tech Is Always an Option for You, and It Could Be a 'Joyful' One, Too
I've been writing about the right-to-repair movement and finding more sustainable ways to buy tech for years, but it wasn't until earlier this year on a routine Tube journey across London that I heard of Back Market, a refurbished tech marketplace originating in France. While avoiding any possible eye contact with strangers, as is good Tube etiquette, my gaze drifted up to a Back Market advert above the window pane. "Sorry, cats. Tech now has multiple lives too," it said. It was amusing and immediately made me want to know more. It turned out that I was late to the party, and this was just one of many cheeky ads that Back Market has run on the London Underground network and beyond. The aim of the company's campaigns is to normalize buying refurbished tech by making it fun, Back Market's CEO Thibaud Hug de Larauze said at SXSW London on Tuesday. Back Market projects a slogan onto the Apple Store in London. Back Market "Don't make people feel guilty, like you're a bad person because you're buying new," he said. "It's not going to work. It's not going to change people's behavior." Extending the lifespan of our phones, laptops and other tech products, whether through repair, responsible trade-ins that prioritize recycling or buying refurbished devices is critical to ensure we're not wasting precious minerals and exerting pressure on the natural world in ways that contribute to the climate crisis. It's serious stuff, but Back Market's lighthearted approach is about sparking "a joyful revolution" in the world of refurbished tech, said Hug de Larauze. Buying into this revolution is good for the planet, and for protecting the wellbeing of the people in developing countries whose health is impacted by mining for minerals or recovering them from discarded e-waste. It's also good for another reason – avoiding price rises on new tech sparked by tariffs. The repair and refurbish movement Back Market isn't the only marketplace willing to pay for your old tech and to sell you a refurbished device, but it's one part of a more widespread movement for change. Earlier this year, the company partnered with iFixit, which is equipping people around the world with the tools they need to repair their own tech while advocating for right-to-repair legislation. "We want to enable people to repair by default, if they want and if they can," said Hug de Larauze. "If they cannot, let's trade in easily and adopt a refurbished one." Together the companies are encouraging people to increase the time they hold onto their phones to five years, rather than the current average of two and a half years. They're also applying pressure to phone manufacturers to increase software support to 10 years. But Hug de Larauze has an even bigger request for tech companies, which he describes as "the next fight we need to push for." At the point when tech manufacturers cease to provide ongoing support for devices, he wants them to unleash the hardware they've made so that it can be fully divorced from the operating system. The idea is that an old iPhone, for example, could get a new lease on life as something like a baby monitor or security camera if combined with different software. This feels like a big ask for tech companies, with the main argument against the proposal likely to center around security concerns. Still, the world of refurbished tech is changing quickly. Over a million refurbished devices were purchased through Back Market last year alone and according to Hug de Larauze, there are already signs that people are holding onto their smartphones for longer and trading in more often. "For me, it's about building a global ecosystem of service for everybody to basically access to repair by default," he said. "Obviously, keep the device longer, but if for some reason you cannot, then easily trade it in and access refurbished devices instead."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
CA Green Technology Initiative launches, bridging digital divide
( — The California Green Technology Initiative officially launched Monday morning in West Sacramento. The program looks to reduce e-waste and provides technology to Californians in need. The California Emerging Technology Fund kicked off the initiative at West Sacramento City Hall. The initiative will collect unwanted technology devices, refurbish them, and get them into the hands of residents who need them most. 'In the world of a digital era, and especially knowing that so many services these days are expected to be delivered digitally, we in the State of California felt that level of responsibility to make sure that we're doing everything that we could,' said Amy Tong, Senior Counselor to Governor Gavin Newsom. The goal of the California Green Technology Initiative is to reduce e-waste by repurposing old tech and distributing refurbished devices. 'The hope and the vision has been we're going to get everybody online in California. We have performance metrics where our goal in the next five years to get 99% of all Californians online,' said Sunne McPeak, President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund. 'It's pretty significant,' said West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero. Mayor Guerrero says many local families lack reliable, affordable internet access. 'We just have a lot of children who don't have access to the internet, including their families for work, and our elderly for those that need to get access to their medical services,' she said. 'What we continue to need to do is to establish affordable internet service here in West Sacramento.' The initiative does just that, working with local and state non-profits to provide free or low-cost devices to low-income households. McPeak says the program is targeting California's digital divide. 'Average in california, 91% of all households are online. For low income households, it's 84% of all households. So that gap between the average and any other segment of our population is called a divide,' she said. That gap is caused by barriers like poverty, language, and age. The initiative addresses those challenges not just through tech devices but also with digital literacy classes and support services. Technology is really only a tool. What gives it power is when people know how to use it. Sunne McPeak, President and CEO of California Emerging Technology Fund It's also a big win for the environment by reducing e-waste, while opening doors for residents across the state. 'They can save time, they can save money, the kids can do their homework at home. We can all connect to our doctor online if we want to. We can apply for a job, get a better job. That is our goal,' McPeak said. Here in Sacramento, Computers 4 Kids is the regional partner that's refurbishing devices and offering digital literacy classes. For more information on how to take advantage of this program, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
