EveryDay Connections

Copper, like your Sprite is collecting, is needed in larger amounts than any other metal for phones; a phone contains about 16 g of copper in circuit boards, wires, connectors, and batteries.

A growing demand for electronic devices is putting pressure on mining supply chains and on our planet. For example, there will have to be an increase in copper mining to meet the world’s growing demand for electronics.

By learning where these valuable mineral resources come from and how they are being extracted, we can use our buying choices to encourage manufacturers to elevate their standards.

Besides using minerals in phones, we also need them to create technology that will help the Earth become cleaner and greener. For instance, instead of burning carbon for our energy, alternatives like wind turbines, solar panels, and electric cars also require minerals.

Green technologies, such as solar panels, call for minerals such as tellurium and silicon for the solar cells that turn sunlight into electricity.

And when you are ready for an updated phone? By recycling our used phones, we can reclaim these precious minerals and let them be renewed into a solar panel, a wind turbine, or an even fancier phone!