Renew envisages more eco-friendly phone ownership

London – Renew is a concept that envisages how smartphones could become more sustainable through flexible ownership.

By separating the screen and the battery from the main ‘computer’, design agency Morrama has created a concept for a smartphone which can easily be upgraded. The phone allows users to switch screens, exchange the battery and upgrade both the phone’s computer and camera when an advanced version comes out. Consequently, Renew promotes the idea of a more sustainable and cost-effective smartphone, for both users and brands.

Sustainable materials, such as biodegradable corn starch for the screens or nano carbon for the batteries, play a key role in the design. Yet its sustainability is only evident in how it is used, according to Morrama: ‘It’s simple to imagine your smartphone having an interface that tracks your activity and calculates your carbon emissions. Then perhaps we will all make better choices in the apps we use, the photographs we store and the amount of time we spend glued to our phone screen.’

Renew offers a solution for the culture of newness being perpetuated by tech giants, a highly polluting system that is increasingly facing a backlash.