Fighting climate change takes many forms. Painting a funny-yet-provocative slogan against meat consumption on your body and parading across London, recycling your old ginger ale bottles, buying responsibly sourced food… the list goes on. But have you ever considered being part of the circular economy?
Reboxed, a London-based refurbished tech company born during the pandemic aims to help you do just that with their take on the circular economy – rebox, rehome, repeat.
Their model is designed with a mission in mind: to rehome 100 million devices and change the tech industry from a linear industry to a circular one through buying, selling and recycling those perfectly good, high-spec handsets gathering dust in a drawer.
The circular market
Although the pandemic brought its challenges, it seems there is no better time to be jumping into this market than now. The refurbished sector is tipped to expand to an annual compound growth rate of 11.2% in the five years to 2024, states analyst firm IDC, with 351.6 million refurbished phones sold in the final year of that period.
This opportunity was impossible to ignore, says co-founder Phil Kemish, who sees it as a market that presents ample growth opportunities.
But aside from this, it was the desire to make an impact-driven business that left a positive mark on our planet that inspired Kemish and fellow co-founder Matt Thorne to start reboxed.
They aim to make tech more accessible and affordable for consumers while hammering home the mindset that you don’t need to buy brand new to get the best tech.
Reboxed phones are up to 40% cheaper than new so you can save yourself some hard cash, all while saving the planet!
Big dreams for a better future
Reboxed goes beyond its circular business model to create a better planet. The company has also pledged to give 1% of all profits to environmental charities as part of their 1% for the Planet initiative, as well as planting five trees for every device the company buys or sells. Reboxed planted 13,000 trees in its first year.
They also just partnered up with UK charity Hubbub and their ‘Community Calling’ initiative to help connect the 7 million people in the UK without internet access. The ‘Rehome Your Phone’ campaign aims to distribute unwanted smartphones to those in need and offers recipients 12-month free connectivity thanks to O2.
What’s next?
In the near future, reboxed is preparing for a fresh round of investment as they look to expand to a global brand – starting in Europe and then across to the US
Reboxed is intent on being the go-to refurbished seller in the market for consumers and aims to lead with brand – something they’ve already proven is their strength, all while bringing in more suppliers and expanding their existing team of just 10 employees.
