Phobio Germany ‘leads the pack’ on phone recycling

Germany – Germany’s population is around 82 million and no less than 107 million mobile phones are currently in use there. And yet despite strict policies and active take-back schemes, not even 5% of these devices are recycled or refurbished each year, notes trade-in service company Phobio Germany.

However, it hopes to change this situation with a trade-in option at point-of-sale, offering consumers immediate credits for trading in their old handsets. For retailers, the initiative is expected to increase store traffic and customer retention, thus ‘creating the ideal opportunity for cross-selling’, says Phobio Germany.

This model resembles one introduced in the USA by Phobio North America several years ago and is based on the best practices, software and procedures for incentivised device trade-in, but ‘customised’ for German retailers. Retail partners include Brodos AG, one of the country’s leading telecommunications product providers.

Phobio is ‘leading the pack’ with its signature point-of-sale approach, asserts Fabian Linder, team leader at Phobio Germany. He hopes such measures will influence the entire consumer electronics sector to adopt greener practices.

More phones than people

Figures released by the International Telecommunications Union indicate that 6 billion mobile phones are currently in use worldwide but that the figure will outnumber the global population as early as next year.

For more information, visit: www.phobio.com