To mark International E-Waste Day, logistics firm byrd highlighted its work with refurbed, the marketplace for refurbished smartphones, laptops and tablets. refurbed was founded in Vienna in 2017 and now trades in 24 European countries, offering restored devices at a fraction of the cost of buying new.

The case for refurbishment is getting harder to ignore. According to UNITAR figures from 2024, the world is on course to generate 82 million tonnes of electronic waste a year by 2030. Fewer than one in four discarded devices is formally collected and recycled, and e-waste is growing around five times faster than recycling capacity.

refurbed has recently moved into its own line of accessories, including phone cases, charging cables and screen protectors. The thinking matches its core business: helping customers keep their products for longer, use fewer resources and save money in the process.

Getting low-value accessories to customers in many countries profitably depends heavily on logistics. Co-founder Kilian Kaminski said byrd’s experience in European fulfilment and its technology-led approach were the main reasons for the partnership. Keeping delivery costs and lead times down across borders, he explained, is what makes the accessories category commercially viable.