Telefónica significantly reduced its electronic waste footprint in 2025, revealing that it reused or recycled more than 4 million devices as part of its ambition to achieve zero waste by 2030.

According to the operator, 95% of the waste generated across its operations was either reused or recycled during the year. This included approximately 3 million routers and set-top boxes, collected from customers, offices and network operations. Around three-quarters of the recovered devices were refurbished and reused, while the remainder were responsibly recycled.

The company also extended the lifecycle of more than 780,000 pieces of network equipment, enabling it to meet the GSMA-backed industry commitment to reuse or recycle all collected network infrastructure.

Mobile devices also played a key role in Telefónica’s circular strategy. The operator recovered nearly 95 tonnes of smartphones and reused more than 357,000 handsets, representing around 15% of all devices distributed during the year.

Beyond device recovery, Telefónica is embedding circular economy principles into its procurement strategy by encouraging suppliers to design products that are more durable, repairable and easier to recycle.

By prioritizing refurbishment over recycling whenever possible, the operator aims to reduce the need for new equipment manufacturing while lowering resource consumption and associated CO₂ emissions.

“The circular economy is a key pillar of our sustainability strategy,” said Maya Ormazabal, Global Director of Sustainability at Telefónica. “It allows us to make more responsible use of resources while reducing the environmental impact of our technological activities.”