Vodacom sells over 51,000 refurbished smartphones in South Africa
Vodacom has sold more than 51,000 refurbished smartphones through its Good As New programme, forming part of its wider push to reduce e-waste in South Africa.
The programme gives customers access to more affordable, quality-assured smartphones while keeping usable devices in circulation for longer.
Vodacom said Good As New supports circular-economy outcomes by reducing demand for raw materials and lowering the environmental impact associated with new-device production.
The refurbished smartphone programme falls under Vodacom’s RedLovesGreen initiatives, which are focused on reuse, recycling, and responsible device management.
“In addressing this issue, Vodacom is supporting a move away from linear consumption patterns, where products are made, used and then discarded,” a Vodacom spokesperson told MyBroadband.
Instead, the company is promoting a circular economy, where devices are reused, refurbished, recycled, or recovered where possible.
“This minimises resource consumption and waste by extending the life cycle of products.”
South Africa produces about 530 million kilograms (530,000 tonnes) of e-waste a year, according to the United Nations Global E-Waste Monitor.
“That is equivalent to almost 8 kilograms per person in the country. This discarded waste poses serious risks of pollution, health hazards, and degradation to the environment,” said Vodacom.
South Africa is the biggest e-waste producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Across the entire continent, it is second only to Egypt, which produces 690,000 metric tonnes of e-waste per year with double the population.
Vodacom said its device management programmes are aimed at reducing landfill waste and recovering value from discarded electronic equipment.
Vodacom’s broader sustainability work also covers energy efficiency, waste management, water reduction goals, and biodiversity protection.
Its device trade-in programme is a key part of this strategy. It allows customers to trade in eligible devices for a monthly discount on an upgrade or new Vodacom line.
Trade-ins are currently available at participating Vodacom stores for selected Samsung, Apple, Huawei, and Vivo smartphone models.
Customers must visit a participating store, where Vodacom checks whether the device qualifies and runs an in-store diagnostic test.
The phone must not be blacklisted, must switch on without being plugged in, and must pass the diagnostic assessment.
Recycling and trade-in programmes
Vodacom said its device trade-in and recycling work has developed from RedLovesGreen into broader partnerships and international campaigns.
“Introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic as part of Vodacom’s sustainability drive, the RedLovesGreen Device Management Initiative encourages customers to trade in or recycle devices,” it said.
“The programme forms part of Vodacom’s broader sustainability programmes, which cover energy efficiency, waste management, water reduction goals, and the protection of biodiversity.”
Vodacom South Africa soon expanded on the RedLovesGreen initiative and, in November 2024, it partnered with Circular Energy.
Circular Energy is a Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment–recognised Producer Responsibility Organisation focused on collection, recovery, and recycling.
The partnership aims to divert e-waste from landfills and channel it into formal recovery and recycling streams.
Through the partnership, Vodacom customers can request home collection of pre-owned devices by completing a form on Circular Energy’s website.
Vodacom said this makes recycling more convenient and supports its broader e-waste ecosystem for electrical equipment and electronic devices.
The company also recycled more than 1,273 tonnes of network equipment during its last financial year.
Vodacom said that recycling infrastructure and collection systems can support South Africa’s green economy by enabling collection, extraction, and materials recovery.
The company has structured its e-waste ecosystem around five pillars covering take-back systems, green jobs, partnerships, circular practices, and education.
The first pillar is convenient take-back, supported by Vodacom’s Circular Energy partnership for device returns and collections.
The second focuses on green jobs through an e-waste learnership programme for unemployed young people.
Vodacom said learners are placed at recycling and refurbishment centres, where they receive practical training and mentorship from industry professionals.
The third pillar covers strategic partnerships that strengthen responsible recycling and resource recovery programmes.
The fourth covers circular economy initiatives such as Good As New, which keeps usable smartphones in circulation for longer.
The fifth focuses on education and awareness, including e-waste literacy programmes at schools supported by Vodacom.
Vodacom said it trains ICT coordinators on proper e-waste management and has developed environmental education material for learners and educators.
It has also introduced competitions such as Eco-Warriors, which encourages learners to identify sustainability challenges and propose solutions.
Global and government initiatives
Vodacom said its local initiatives also align with Vodafone’s global e-waste and biodiversity programmes.
In 2022, Vodafone and the Worldwide Fund (WWF) for Nature launched the “1 Million Phones for the Planet” campaign across markets in Europe and Africa.
“For every phone collected, Vodafone donated £1 to WWF to support global biodiversity and environmental initiatives,” Vodacom explained.
Vodafone and WWF announced in March 2026 that the campaign had reached its global target of one million phones.
Vodacom said its e-waste work has also attracted interest from government departments and research bodies involved in circular economy planning.
The company has engaged with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and the CSIR.
Representatives from these organisations visited Vodacom’s repair and refurbishment facility in Midrand in November 2025.
Vodacom said the visit focused on its reuse, refurbishment, and recycling processes for electronic devices across its value chain.
The departments and the CSIR are developing a national circular economy programme to represent South Africa on global platforms.
Vodacom said the engagement could support stronger public-private cooperation as South Africa works to reduce e-waste and recover more materials from discarded devices.
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