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Rare Earths

Do you know the term?

Rare earths are valuable raw materials. There are 17 of them. Rare earths are used in very small amounts, but without them, some things wouldn't work. Whether it's LEDs, smartphones/ iPhones, notebooks/ MacBooks, computers/ iMacs, electric motors, and many other high-tech products. Most manufacturers are supplied with rare earths from China. The rare metals are not rare in themselves, but they are found only in small quantities everywhere. The extraction of rare earths is very complex and often problematic for our environment. Of course, there are regulations for the extraction of metals all over the world, but they are often not followed. The extraction of metals works with acid that washes the metals out of the boreholes, and the resulting waste products often end up in the groundwater and contaminate it.


What can we do? What can you do?

Recycle instead of mining.

When you buy refurbished devices, you protect the environment, resources, and your wallet. Use the devices until they are really no longer useful, try to repair the devices instead of buying a new one right away, or opt for a used device. Even if you dispose of a broken device properly, it is too laborious and expensive for most manufacturers to remove and reuse the rare earths from the old devices. This is where the refurbishment of devices comes into play; by refurbishing and cleaning older models, they can be used for many more years.

Refurbished is as good as new, cheaper than new, and better for the environment, if those aren't enough arguments.