Resist Disastrous Planned Obsolescence by Making Old iPhones Sexy Again

Fight Apple’s annual seduction dance by buying a perfectly restored iPhone from a company rallying against thoughtless consumerism and e-waste.

While I don’t think our ancient ancestors were lusting after each new model of iPhone, there must be some way in which modern humans are hard-wired to want the newest, shiniest things. How else can we explain the phenomena of Apple’s annual parade of new gizmos and the public’s seemingly mindless lining-up to buy them, when most of us already have a perfectly fine device to use?

With rumors currently a-swirling about all the amazing new and improved best phones ever invented on the face of the planet, it’s time to take a deep breath and think about the phone you already have. Love it, appreciate it, and do not cave into Apple’s mesmerist tricks. And when it is time, try to resist the forbidden fruit!

As Sustainable Brands describes the new devices, they are “introduced at an unsustainably rapid pace for no logical reason. The resulting millions of tons of e-waste not only have disastrous environmental consequences but also wreak havoc on consumers’ budgets – and without adding much in the way of must-have features or innovations to make the new models worth tossing away the old.”

And with that in mind, Back Market has launched a campaign to make the iPhone 6s sexy again. As the largest marketplace exclusively dedicated to selling refurbished, certified electronic devices to consumers, yes, they have a vested interest. But seriously, the iPhone 6s is iconic and still wow-worthy – why must it be consigned to the e-waste trash mountains of history, when a beautifully refurbished one could be in your pocket instead?

"Apple is releasing a new series of iPhones as it does every year, and just like previous models, they will have an unspoken expiration date built in,” says Thibaud Hug de Larauze, CEO and co-founder of Back Market. “This is the crux of the problem and the iPhone 6s is the perfect example: In spite of the revolutionary design that introduced us to the 12-megapixel camera and 3D Touch technology, its disappearance from the Apple store is enough to render it obsolete in the minds of consumers.”

Dubbed the #HereToStay campaign, Back Market's idea is to call attention to planned obsolescence by reminding people that despite Apple’s “psychological warfare” against the public’s common sense, the iPhone 6s is still a revolutionary phone, with over 80 million sold worldwide – 80 million phones that still have plenty of life left in them. Back Market says that they have more than 40,000 of them in stock – expertly refurbished and warrantied by certified professionals – and they sell for a fraction of the cost of new models. (A brief look at the site shows phones starting at $171.00)

"The goal of this campaign is to convince consumers to stop systematically turning to new models. This fight against what we can accurately call a kind of new device bulimia – where new models are gobbled up and then soon enough purged – is an effective way for us to combat the overproduction of electronics, the overexploitation of natural resources, and the explosion of e-waste. Everyone needs to be made aware of it,” notes Vianney Vaute, co-founder of Back Market.

In 2018, there will be an estimated 230 million smartphone users in the United States. With people buying a new phone every 18 months to 2 years, is it any wonder that the U.S. is the second-largest producer of e-waste in the world?

I don’t know about you, but I’m sold. I will continue in my tradition of using my phone until it can no longer be repaired ... but once my current iPhone 7 gives up the ghost, I’m going retro with a 6s. Because when it comes to electronics, the one thing that’s sexier than a shiny new iPhone is knowing you’ve resisted the creepy and disastrous trap of planned obsolescence. With that in mind, a 6s never looked better.

See more about the campaign and available phones here.

Via Sustainable Brands