With a Fairphone in her pocket, Julie Demonet, Product Manager at POST Telecom, makes no secret of her environmental concerns. For several years now, she has been working enthusiastically to reduce the environmental footprint associated with mobile phones. The strategies at her disposal include extending the lifespan of smartphones and taking back old models to refurbish them and put them back on the market.
Julie Demonet has been working in the telecoms sector for almost 20 years. Today, as a Product Manager, she manages POST Telecom’s relationships with suppliers, brands and partners regarding mobile phones and their accessories, from product launch right through to end of life.
“At the start of my career, in 2007, issues relating to environmental, social or human impact weren’t a key focus,” she explains. “In the early 2020s, there were regulatory changes, particularly concerning mobile devices, which marked the start of CSR initiatives.”
Since then, the challenge has no longer been simply to offer the latest models on the market, but also to consider ways of reducing their environmental impact, in particular by seeking solutions to extend their lifespan.
Making smartphones last longer
“The carbon footprint of a smartphone is around 70 kg of CO₂. That of the Fairphone is between 30 and 40 kg of CO₂. It is one of the best on the market for a new phone. All refurbished phones also fall below the 40 kg CO₂ mark, regardless of the model.
”As well as the sustainability initiatives of certain manufacturers, regulatory changes are also helping to drive the market forward. In recent years, mobile phones have become easier to repair and more durable. “
In fact, from June 2025, EPREL* labels must be displayed in shops. They inform consumers about the energy efficiency of the devices. Customers are gradually realising the importance of choosing more sustainable models. Although, of course, the primary driver remains financial,” explains Julie
From buy-back to refurbishment: a new lease of life for equipment
Refurbishment is one of the key strategies adopted by POST in the area of circularity. Together with its partner Recommerce, POST encourages its customers to give their old phones a new lease of life through a trade-in scheme.
“Although this is the case in several countries, here in Luxembourg, customers are reluctant to buy older models. This is one of the reasons why POST does not yet offer refurbished smartphones in its shops,” says Julie. However, this is set to change soon. “In partnership with Recommerce, we plan to offer for sale recent refurbished phones that are in high demand but are no longer available on the market as new,” she explains. “This should be rolled out by the end of the year.”
Collect, repair, repurpose
In POST shops, collection points already allow customers to donate equipment they no longer use. These items are then sent to the ASBL Solina, which identifies which devices can be repaired and which need to be channelled into a recycling scheme. Repairable devices are then handed over to Digital Inclusion, a Luxembourgish ASBL whose aim is to restore the devices to working order and distribute them to people in need.
Estimate the value of your old phone online
To encourage even more customers to hand in their old devices, the Mobile Buyback service was launched in 2022. Either the customer sells their old phone when buying a new one, in which case the value of the old device is deducted immediately from the price of the new smartphone, or the customer sells their old device at a later date and receives the money by bank transfer.
Spurred on by Julie, POST now wants to take things a step further. “Since the end of June, customers have been able to request an initial valuation for their phone’s trade-in online, using a module specially designed for this purpose,” says Julie. “After answering a series of questions, a valuation will be provided, followed by an email confirmation including a label, much like on Vinted. With this label, the customer can bring their phone, securely packed, to an Espace POST to send it off. It will then be sent to our partner Recommerce, whose role is to confirm the trade-in value.”
Changing consumer behaviour
“Many customers, even tech-savvy ones, now trust POST to sell their old phones. That wasn’t necessarily the case before,” recalls Julie. “A real shift in consumer behaviour is taking place.”
The target POST has set itself is to reach, by 2030, 25 per cent of devices bought back and refurbished, as well as 10 per cent of phones collected.
Extending the financing term
Extending the lifespan of equipment is not just a matter of repair or refurbishment. It also involves encouraging customers to keep their devices for longer
With this in mind, POST has recently extended the repayment term for smartphones.
“We’re trying to encourage customers to keep their new phones for as long as possible. Previously, the repayment term didn’t exceed 24 months. This encouraged customers to upgrade their device once it had been paid off, so they could get a new one. We now offer finance options over 36 or 48 months, and as phones are more robust these days, this is working well,” explains Julie.
Initial results seem to confirm this trend. Since September 2026, POST recorded 52 per cent of finance agreements over 36 or 48 months.
An approach set to grow
For Julie Demonet, these new services are just the first step. The challenge now is to embed the principles of circularity firmly and sustainably both in customers’ habits and in POST Telecom’s product range.
* European Product Registry for Energy Labelling
