The SHIFT Device deposit
We pay you for your old SHIFT phone! There is a deposit on each of our devices. But what happens with your broken SHIFT phone after you send it back to us?
An important part of our sustainability efforts include reuse, recycling and proper disposal of our products. Therefore we are delighted to take unwanted devices back. We take special care to use materials in the production process which can be recycled.
At the end of your SHIFT phone’s life you can wrap it in its original packaging and send it to us in Auckland, New Zealand. Please include your purchase receipt. Upon receiving your device, you will be credited NZD $33 for use in our online SHIFT shop. The state of your SHIFT phone doesn’t matter, by the way. You will receive your deposit, regardless of the condition of your device.
What happens next?
Your SHIFT phone will be salvaged...
Our team will try to repair your old SHIFT phone. If successful it will be sold as a used phone. We celebrate each repaired and revived SHIFT phone because we strive to generate as little waste as possible and to avoid wasting resources.
Or your SHIFT phone will be disassembled!
If your device cannot be repaired, we will remove all parts which are still working. Those will then be used to repair other devices. Parts which are broken beyond repair will be recycled, to reuse precious resources. This works very well with precious metals and single-origin plastics, but cannot be done with some rare resources. This is one reason why we don’t use coltan in any of our devices.
Who gets what?
Motherboards and small parts
Main boards and smaller electronic parts like microphone, speakers, and displays beyond repair will go to our partner AfB (non-profit IT company creating jobs for people with disabilities). Since 2004 AfB specialises in reprocessing and reselling of phased out IT hardware.
Plastics parts
Antennae, cables and batteries
Antennae, cables, and batteries go to another one of our partners, the RU Recycling- und Umweltdienst GmbH. They are an experienced environmental company offering a wide range of ecological services. This includes waste reduction, long term usage, repair, and recovery of resources.