Exploring the inner loops of the circular economy: Replacement, repair, and reuse of mobile phones in Austria

The 'circular economy' paradigm is taking hold in the mobile phone sector as a solution to increasing resource use. This paper explores three dimensions of the consumption of mobile phones: timing of replacement, repair, and reuse. Combining quantitative evidence from a large-scale questionnaire survey (n = 988) with 25 qualitative household interviews, we identify the consumers' motivations underpinning their considerations regarding replacement timing, replace versus repair, and new versus second-hand phones. The findings from this study suggest that mobile phone replacements are not only based on a desire for the new, but primarily on the perceived obsoleteness of the current phone. We identify three forms of perceived obsolescence, being either related to a phone's 1) basic functionality, 2) up-to-dateness, or 3) ability to keep up with social practices. Furthermore, it is shown that the perceived speed of obsolescence is key to considerations of phone repair and reuse. Overall, the results call into question the prevalent picture of novelty-oriented mobile phone consumers, exposing the paradoxical nature of consumer strategies to resist the fast pace of obsolescence. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.