Sustainability important to U.S. smartphone users

A recent survey by Lehi-based mobile device protection company BodyGuardz found that Americans feel it is important for manufacturers to use sustainable materials and processes in the construction of smartphones. The survey also addressed durability expectations for smartphones, the frequency of upgrades and which smartphone brands reign supreme in the U.S.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

The study was conducted between Aug. 1 and Sept. 9, just on the heels of Apple’s iPhone 14 announcement. When asked about the importance of their phone being constructed from sustainable materials such as bioplastics, 33 percent of respondents stated that it was important to them, while 29 percent stated that they didn’t care either way, and 6 percent stated it was unimportant to them.

However, when respondents were asked about discarding their old phones, concern increased to 69.5 percent of respondents being concerned or somewhat concerned about their phone’s components’ effect on the environment, while 17.5 percent were not concerned and 7.5 percent didn’t care either way.

Regarding the durability of their smartphone, 88 percent of survey respondents stated that it was very important, only 11.5 percent were ambivalent about their phone’s durability and a small percentage felt that durability wasn’t important at all (1.5 percent).

Study authors concluded that the high percentage of users desiring durability for their smartphones should not be surprising as Americans spend a considerable amount of resources on their devices and accompanying plans. When asked about this financial cost, 39 percent of respondent said they spend between $50 and $100 a month for their mobile phone service, 25 percent spend under $50 a month, 23 percent of respondents spend between $100 and $150 and a small minority spend over $200 a month for their mobile phone service (12 percent).

When it came to changing their smartphones, 44 percent of respondents said they upgrade every year, 47 percent stated that they always have the same phone unless forced to replace it due to loss or damage and 8 percent said they upgrade every six months. In terms of Americans’ favorite smartphone brands, 62 percent were Apple users, 27 percent used Samsung phones and 11 percent of respondents used Motorola, Sony Ericsson or another brand.{/mprestriction}