Second hand electronics are “saving” the environment. Buying and selling used is a great way to save but it is also one of the most widespread sustainable behaviors of Italians (adopted by 54% of the population).
The second hand does not only concern cars, clothes or furnishing accessories, but also the world of electronics: still functional and suitable for the purpose, a smartphone, a gaming console or an audio system can continue to be used by a new owner looking of the latest model released on the market or a vintage collector’s item.
Second-hand electronics: how it “comes into play”
According to the Second Hand Effect 2020 research, conducted by the Swedish Institute of Environmental Research (IVL) for Immediately, the # 1 platform in Italy to sell and buy in a sustainable way with over 13 million unique monthly users, the sale of used goods of almost 3 million electronic products on Subito generated an environmental saving of 193,775 tons of CO2 in 2020. An amount of emissions equal to those generated by 2.7 million Milan-Rome return flights or for the production and disposal of 3.4 million iPhone 11, or 717,685 laptops. Furthermore, considering also the raw materials necessary to make the electronic devices, they have been spared 1,172 tons of plastic, 2,575 tons of steel e 68 tons of aluminum.
Big numbers given by many small and simple gestures that together can make a big difference. Just think that, for example, it is possible to save 47kg of CO2 for each smartphone bought used. Or again a desktop computer used allows a saving of well 879kg of CO2, a 270kg laptop of CO2, a tablet 252kg, a TV 168kg. But also simple ones headphones or a charger they have their value and in fact they weigh 10kg of CO2 on the environment.
Second hand: IT and telephony in the lead in buying and selling
Reading the data released byOsservatorio Second Hand Economy 2020 by BVA Doxa for Immediately: electronics is the third most bought and sold category in Italy in the second-hand market, between online and offline, after Motori and Casa & Persona, with a turnover of 3.8 billion euros, of which 1.4 billion generated by Telephony.
What do Italians buy? Among the most used products bought online are those of Electronics (55% of online purchases) with articles by computer science such as PCs, tablets or laptops in 3rd place among all the most used products bought online in 2020, thanks also to the new needs born last year such as smart working, DAD and home entertainment. In the category, IT occupies 27%, followed by Telephony with 19%, Console and Video Games (13%) and Audio and Video (11%).
Also for sales, Electronics saw big moves and came in as the second best-selling category online (47%) with i phones ranked 3rd as most products on sale in 2020 (21%), also involved in the desire to get rid of what is no longer used.
iPhone and gaming consoles are the most coveted
The growing interest in smartphones and entertainment continues even after the pandemic: by analyzing the over 60 million searches in the first six months of 2021 in the Electronics category, in fact, in 1st place among the most searched words is “iPhone” the famous smartphone Apple, a real love brand for Italians, which also conquers another four places in the top 10 with the specific models iPhone 12 (4th place), iPhone 11 (5°), iPhoneX (8th) and his now unmistakable smartwatch Apple Watch (10°).
Another great passion that has become more and more widespread in recent years, however, is that for video games. The news on the gaming market have increased the desire to grab the new consoles, but also to be able to have the previous models at more accessible prices. In fact, among the researches in electronics of the last six months, we find the PS4, in 2nd place, and the latest to arrive on the market PS5, in 3rd place, in addition to the portable console Nintendo Switch (6th place).
In the first ten places of the Electronics ranking we find another leading technology brand, Samsung (9th place) despite its first model in the ranking, Samsung 10 ranks beyond the 70th position in the Electronics ranking.