Vodafone Ireland sees 76% growth in phone trade-ins as Cork more than doubles

Average device return reaches € 150

Customers trading in their old devices received an average of € 150, contributing to a total customer saving of € 8 million, according to Vodafone. Most of these devices are refurbished, recycled or reused, playing a role in reducing e-waste and supporting affordability.

One in three now trades in

During the final week of June, one in three Vodafone retail customers in Ireland traded in a device when upgrading to a new one. This represents a notably high attach rate by European standards. SecondaryMarket.news questions whether such high uptake is being driven by trade-in subsidies from either Vodafone itself or from device manufacturers. Vodafone currently operates 80 retail locations across Ireland and employs 2,000 people, including staff at its headquarters in Dublin.

Sustainability and affordability combined

Vodafone Ireland CEO Sabrina Casalta highlighted that trade-ins are key to both affordability and sustainability. “This is a tangible method to deliver change and make a difference for generations to come,” she said.

EU introduces stricter sustainability rules

The growth in trade-ins aligns with new EU ecodesign and energy labelling regulations introduced last month. These rules aim to improve energy efficiency and optimise the use of critical raw materials like gold and magnesium. The European Commission estimates consumers will save €20 billion by 2030 as a result.

Refurbed report underscores potential impact

According to Refurbed’s 2024 sustainability report, 7.3 million smartphones are currently unused in Irish households. Across seven EU countries, 346 million unused phones were reported, with 112 million suitable for refurbishment. Recovering these devices could prevent 7.1 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions and 16,800 tonnes of e-waste.