For the second consecutive year, Dipli and Ipsos present a focused analysis of Europe’s circular tech landscape, aimed at telecoms, retail and manufacturing professionals. The 2025 edition probes how consumers in France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom buy, sell, and think about refurbished smartphones and trade-in services. The report upgrades its methodology to measure behaviour as well as perceptions and introduces a new Dipli Circular Index that benchmarks market maturity.
Study expands markets and methodology
The 2025 study brings the United Kingdom into the sample for the first time and strengthens its analytical lens to move beyond stated attitudes toward concrete behavioural patterns. The Dipli Circular Index synthesises four Ipsos indicators adoption, satisfaction, NPS and consideration to provide a composite readiness score for each market. The index is designed to help decision makers prioritise investments and compare progress across countries.
Refurbished demand is broad but fragile
Across the four markets, 62% to 66% of respondents are open to refurbished smartphones, with Poland leading at 66% followed by France and the United Kingdom at 64% and Germany at 62% suggesting a pan-European openness to preowned devices. Despite this declared receptiveness, conversion into purchase remains below potential. The crucial commercial task is to convert curiosity into transaction through clear proof points.
Economic motives outweigh green motives
Price and value dominate motivations. 48% cite good value for money as the primary reason to buy refurbished, followed by long-term guarantees at 42% and competitive pricing at 30%. Only 15% identify ecological impact as a primary reason. This hierarchy indicates that sustainability strengthens decisions but rarely initiates them.
Trust requires tangible proof
Consumers expect verifiable reassurance. Long warranties and performance parity with new devices each register at 42% as top trust signals. Security guarantees and confirmed factory resets also contribute. These findings mean that transparency about refurbishment processes, robust warranties, and visible diagnostics are conversion drivers.
Trade-in remains an opportunity to build
64% of consumers have never traded in a smartphone, showing that the trade-in reflex is not yet mainstream. Financial incentives are decisive, with 59% naming a good trade-in price as the main motivator and 41% valuing instant discounts. Speed matters: 72% expect trade-in processes to take less than 30 minutes and many prefer in-store diagnostics to validate valuations. Fast payment methods are frequently preferred over delayed vouchers.
Operational excellence unlocks scale
The Dipli Circular Index gives commercial teams a roadmap to act. The study’s clear prescription for industry professionals is to simplify journeys, provide visible proof points, align pricing and guarantees, and optimise user experience. Europe’s consumer base is ready, but scaling circular tech requires trust, speed and operational rigor.
Market
Trade-in
Repair
Refurbishing
