- Spring is changing the way people consume tech by providing a convenient service for people to sell their unwanted phones, tablets, laptops and more
- Spring is the first, and only, tech recirculation service that focuses on transparency and fair pricing, believing that the future of tech must be circular
- Spring has designed, developed and launched innovative deposit Pods now placed in over 60 locations across the UK including via partnerships with UK retailers Co-op and Morrisons
Website: www.spring.co.uk
What is Spring?
Founded in mid-2021 amid a rapidly changing global technology landscape, Spring is challenging people’s relationships with technology.
By creating an ecosystem of buying, refurbishing and re-selling consumer tech such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and more, Spring is working towards its mission of enabling the redistribution of resources. This is both financial resources for individuals and natural resources, including rare earth materials and precious metals required for manufacturing new devices.
”We started Spring having realised how broken the system of current tech consumption is. We are on a mission to create a circular economy for consumer technology, an important step in slowing the rate at which commonly owned devices are becoming e-waste. The UK is on track to being the largest e-waste contributor per person in Europe by 2025. What people don’t realise is that the iPhones lying at the back of their junk drawer are effectively hidden treasure with real and significant value. We’re building a system people can trust where they understand the value and can take advantage of it, changing perceptions of technology away from a disposable mindset.” – James Seear, Spring Co-Founder
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Is there a market for a consumer tech circular economy?
Consumers are increasingly thinking about making the most of their hard-earned money and their personal sustainability.
For many people buying a phone has meant sinking a thousand pounds into the latest iPhone, waiting a year or two, then repeating the process all over again. This has been driven by manufacturers’ relentless release cycles, creating mountains of unwanted technology after each upgrade.
However, the demand for an alternative ecosystem is now at an all-time high for people to be able to reclaim the value of their technology once it’s no longer being used. According to Global E-waste monitor data, the UK creates 24kg of e-waste per capita and our data at Spring suggests that over time amounts to £795 per UK household that just sits in people’s homes.
It’s important that we start taking the steps to ensure that people are aware of just how much value their unwanted tech still has.
What products does Spring have?
Spring has created two novel ways for people to sell their unwanted tech;
- Spring Post; innovative water-proof padded envelopes reusable up to 2,000 times for people to send their unwanted tech to Spring. These can be requested for free from www.spring.co.uk
- Spring Pods; self-service machines, now placed in 60+ locations across the UK including via partnerships with retailers Co-op and Morrisons, for people to drop off their unwanted tech. Find your nearest pod on Spring’s website.
