Celebrating more than 8 Million collections
Imagine what would happen if every resident of London returned one end-of life mobile phone.
That would mean around 8 million devices brought back into the system — destined for responsible recycling and re-entry into the value chain. This is the dream: a powerful image of what collective action could look like.
Now, imagine those same 8 million phones being prevented from ending up in landfills and the natural environment, and instead being responsibly collected and processed. That’s making the dream bigger, right?
Over the past years, Closing the Loop has partnered with big tech brands, corporates, and the public sector to achieve this dream, and today, we want to share that, thanks to all our partners, we’ve reached an important milestone: more than 8 million end-of-life phones collected through our One for One service.
While this is our biggest milestone to date, the number itself isn’t the story.
We see this moment as an opportunity to look behind the figure at everything that makes this level of impact possible, and what 8 million collections truly represent.
Built on trust and shared responsibility
Reaching impact at this scale is only possible because of the trusted clients and partners who choose to integrate One for One into the devices they buy, use or sell.
By adopting One for One, our partners show that circular electronics can be part of everyday business, and that responsibility for reducing e-waste doesn’t stop at the point of sale. It extends to customers, supply chains, and the environment.
Each device we’ve collected reflects trust: trust in the model, in the service, and in the idea that circularity can work at scale.
Impact that multiplies
The impact of our partners doesn’t stop with their own organisations.
Every company that adopts One for One helps scale the service itself, making it easier to implement, easier to explain, and easier to sell to the next partner. As the model grows, circularity becomes less of an exception and more of a standard.
In that sense, 8 million collections — and the millions still to come — are the result of a collective effort. A growing network of organisations joining forces to make circular electronics viable at scale.
From numbers to real-world impact
Behind each collected device is tangible impact.
Millions of collected phones and devices translate into:
- 440 tonnes of e-waste not ending up in landfills and responsibly managed
- 95% of the valuable metals and raw materials recovered and returned in the value chain
- an estimated 19,500 living wages created within collection networks
- safer working conditions and stable income for hundreds of collectors
- environmental benefits that grow year after year for entire communities
This is impact that doesn’t rely on short-term projects or temporary funding, but on long-term partnerships and steady demand. Here’s how it works:
From impact to business value
With more than 8 million devices collected, the One for One model has proven credible, scalable, and commercially viable.
One for One allows organisations to activate it in ways that align with their commercial goals, audiences, and strategies. Reaching this level of scale shows that the model is proven in practice and flexible enough to work across different business contexts as an established sustainable add-on in consumer offerings, B2B services, tender responses, and internal engagement initiatives.
Powered by people behind the scenes
As with any work in progress, none of this happens without a dedicated team working behind the scenes.
From navigating complex international regulations and Basel Convention requirements, to strengthening systems, supporting partners, and representing our work at events, our team keeps the wheels turning every day. Sometimes under pressure, sometimes behind the scenes— or in black tie — but always with the same goal: making circular electronics work in practice.
Thank you
Reaching 8 million collections is a shared achievement.
To our partners, clients, collectors, and colleagues: thank you for trusting the model, strengthening it, and helping prove that circular solutions can scale…when we build them together.
