NEW YORK - April 12, 2021 - Back Market, the world’s leading marketplace for professionally refurbished electronics products, is opening a special Earth Day shop making it easy for shoppers to confidently purchase renewed electronics this Earth Day for less money and less impact on the planet. The Back Market Earth Month shop features special deals on select Apple products and accessories as well as educational resources for consumers looking to reduce their environmental impact. 5% of all purchases made through the shop, which will be open now through April 30th, will be donated to the Closing the Loop Foundation, an organization aimed at upcycling and reducing e-waste.
“Consumer priorities towards buying sustainable products as well as their trust in renewed electronics is shifting in a positive direction,” said Serge Verdoux, Managing Director of Back Market in the U.S. “Customer polls show 65% of consumers now feel confident buying refurbished electronics - a total reverse of what we found in May of 2019 when the same poll showed 65% of consumers did not feel confident buying refurbished. In addition, 24.7% of respondents said that sustainable impact was the most compelling reason to buy refurbished electronics. With Earth Day approaching, April is a perfect time to celebrate this progress while also reminding everyone of the hard work ahead of us.”
E-waste is the fastest growing and most toxic waste we produce (it comprises 70% of toxic waste in our landfills - killing humans and our environment). E-waste levels reached a record 53.6 million metric tons worldwide in 2019, up 21% in just five years. Purchasing renewed electronics has a positive impact on the environment as it enables us to make the most out of the precious natural resources already used for its initial production, while also reducing the overall impact of e-waste on the planet by keeping it out of landfills for as long as possible. Back Market offers the best deals on certified refurbished electronics, and an eco-conscious way to enjoy the electronics we love.
“Moving to a more circular economy, which is our ultimate goal, requires an ecosystem of partners. We are happy to support the Closing the Loop Foundation who is doing the important work of rerouting e-waste away from developing countries,” said Vianney Vaute, CCO & Co-Founder at Back Market. “This shared mission of reducing e-waste and supporting a more circular economy is what drives our fight as a company, and what better time to reignite that flame than on Earth Day.”
In addition to the exponential growth of e-waste, only about 17% of it is properly recycled. With operations in some of the largest electronics dumping grounds in Africa, Closing The Loop Foundation is working to recycle more electronic waste and create value for local communities there. Their goal this year is to recycle 75,000 dead phones and find ways to process screens and batteries. By buying from the Earth Day shop, Back Market is giving consumers two ways to make a positive environmental impact. First by purchasing renewed devices, keeping electronics in circulation longer and secondly by helping raise funds for this important foundation addressing the e-waste crisis. Learn more about the environmental impact of the tech industry.
About Back Market
Launched in 2014 by Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Quentin Le Brouster, and Vianney Vaute, Back Market is the first marketplace focused on bringing thousands of refurbished electronic devices and appliances from certified professional sellers to consumers. The company currently operates in 12 countries (the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland, Japan, and Portugal). It employs a team of about 450 employees across its 3 offices, located in Paris, Bordeaux, and New York.
