Back Market is calling for a legally mandated 10-year standard for smartphones covering durability, repairability and long-term software support. The refurbished technology marketplace launched Mine My Phone, a public-interest platform designed to make the environmental, human and geopolitical costs of smartphone raw-material extraction more visible to consumers and policymakers.

The company says a typical 200-gram smartphone requires more than 266 kilograms of raw-material extraction, while more than 319 million tonnes of upstream materials are extracted globally each year to manufacture smartphones. Back Market argues that extending the useful life of devices could significantly reduce this demand: keeping a smartphone in use for 10 years rather than 2.5 years could avoid approximately 757 kilograms of raw-material extraction per device.

Back Market’s consumer research also points to a growing appetite for longer-lasting technology. Across 6,000 consumers surveyed in France, the UK, Germany, the US, Spain and Japan, 66% supported legislation requiring devices to remain durable, repairable and software-supported for at least 10 years. The research also found that 49% of respondents would be more likely to buy a refurbished phone after learning about the raw-material extraction avoided by choosing a second-life device.

The proposal puts longevity at the centre of the smartphone circular economy, alongside refurbishment and repair. Back Market argues that manufacturers, policymakers and circular-economy businesses all have a role to play in making longer device lifecycles possible, particularly through accessible replacement parts, software support and trusted refurbishment channels.