Every smartphone we use every day is the result of a complex combination of chemical elements sourced from all over the world.
According to various sources (including the European Chemical Society and UNEP), a single smartphone can contain more than 30 elements from the periodic table. These include:
- Precious metals: gold, silver, platinum — essential for electrical conductivity
- Rare earths and critical metals: cobalt, lithium, neodymium, tantalum — used in batteries, magnets, microcomponents
- Toxic or problematic elements: lead, mercury, cadmium — if not properly managed, they are harmful to health and the environment.
- Structural materials: silicon, glass, plastics, and oxides for displays, casings, and circuits
These elements are not easily recoverable and often end up as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment).
Why is this important?
The life cycle of an electronic device has a huge impact on a large scale:
- Environmental: mining, use of non-renewable resources, pollution
- Social: labor exploitation in mines (e.g., cobalt in Congo), opaque supply chains
- Economy: growing scarcity of materials critical for the digital and green transition
More conscious management, from circular design to WEEE recycling, is an urgent challenge for companies, policymakers, and consumers.
Every device is a small ecosystem of rare and strategic materials.
Understanding its composition is the first step toward rethinking our relationship with technology and the planet's resources.
