Sustainability and green initiatives have never been more popular among global enterprises than they are today. Some simply promote sustainability among their employees and customers, while others aim to build solutions that can reduce carbon emissions and waste. In the case of ATRenew, sustainability is essentially the entire business model.

The circular economy emphasizes the refurbishment and reuse of products, reducing the need for raw materials and minimizing waste. One company championing this cause in the realm of electronics is ATRenew.

ATRenew has become a new partner for Apple’s ‘trade-in’ service in Chinese mainland market, making it the first additional trade-in service provider since the launch of this program over eight years ago.

ATRenew hopes to cash in on China’s growing pre-owned electronics market and give a boost to the circular economy.

In these early days we are seeing huge growth in a number of sectors within what might be regarded as the ESG sphere, from renewables to gender equity to electric vehicles. Investors should look at the circular economy as a long-term investment.

The market for unused, pre-owned electronics in China is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and steps that are being taken to improve the sector will help grow it even further.

A blend of low market penetration, large market size and investors’ growing interest in ESG issues make the circular economy ripe for innovation.

These unused electronic devices, which contain toxic and harmful substances will pollute soil and groundwater if they are abandoned, posing a health risk. It is more climate- and eco-friendly if these phones are reused as second-hand products.

Kerry Chen talks about the market for second-hand electronics in China, technologies for preparing for reuse und future challenges for the industry.

Looking beyond COP26, we aspire to give a second life to all idle electronic devices.