Updated August 01, 2017 In fact, they “work” in quite a few ways. They work for the planet by reducing waste, and they work for your bank account by saving you significant amounts of money compared to brand-new products. But just because something is green and saves you some green doesn’t mean it’s completely rosy – before you jump in to the wonderful world of refurbs, it pays to know exactly what the perks are, and exactly what sorts of purchases to look for.
Save the Planet…
Though most smartphones weigh somewhere between 125 and 165 grams, the manufacturing process of these tiny dynamos has a huge environmental impact. According to the Ethical Consumer Research Association, each phone causes about 16 kilograms of CO2 emissions during manufacturing – that’s as much atmospheric waste as a kilogram of beef. And as Chemical & Engineering News reports, only 17 of the 40 elements used to manufacture the average cell phone are recovered even when the phone goes through a highly specialized recycling plant. Once you break out of the ultraportable market, the situation gets downright shocking; UN University estimates that a single desktop computer requires 48 pounds of chemicals, 529 pounds of fossil fuels, and 1.7 tons of water to manufacture. So here’s the simple math: When you buy a new electronic device, you’re also buying all of that environmental impact. When you buy a refurb instead, the environmental impact of your purchase is virtually nill in comparison.
…and Save Your Cash
As significant as environmental impact is, it can often be a difficult concept to imagine. A purchase’s effect on your bank account, however, is a lot more concrete. Buying an iPhone 6s via Apple’s Certified Refurbished Program, for instance, saves you 15 to 16 percent of the purchase price of a new phone – that’s about $80 to $120, depending on storage capacity and options. Similarly, Nintendo’s own online store sells a company-refurbished 2DS system for $60, compared to the $80 MSRP on a new console, making for a savings of 25 percent. As product prices rise, so do the savings. No one needs a long lens to see the $450 you save when buying a refurbished Nikon SLR camera for $2,300 instead of $2,750, for example.
Buy Smart
When an electronics manufacturer refurbishes a product, the device is typically completely disassembled, thoroughly cleaned, repaired if necessary – a situation that surprisingly only applies to about 5 percent of refurbs – and reassembled for resale, all under the watch of strict quality control standards. As a general rule of thumb, though, those strict standards are far more likely to be upheld by manufacturers than they are by retailers, which makes it a smart choice to go through the company’s official refurb program whenever possible. Above all, look for a solid warranty when shopping refurbished – the aforementioned Apple and Nintendo products, just to name two, each come with a full year of manufacturer coverage. When the manufacturer is that confident in their refurb, that’s a pretty good sign that you can be confident, too – and that confidence might just help you save the planet and save some money next time you’re eyeing those new tech toys. Writer Bio
