Phone
Where is the ocean in my phone?
Reimagined
In the materials
Phones contain copper, gold, lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements. Mining and processing these materials uses energy and water, while runoff and pollution can eventually reach rivers and the ocean
Fairphone designs modular phones that are easier to repair and built to last longer. The company also works to increase the use of responsibly sourced and recycled materials
"Innovation doesn’t start on the surface. It starts at the source — in how a phone is made, who it empowers, and how long it lasts. We call it impact innovation
In the connection
Every text, photo and video travels through a network of fiber-optic cables resting on the ocean floor. Together, they carry more than 95% of international internet traffic, making the ocean an essential part of how we stay connected.
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Over 1.8 million kilometres of fibre-optic cables, no wider than a garden hose, carry more than 99% of international digital data traffic across the ocean floor
Reimagined
Starboard Maritime Intelligence uses AI, satellite data and cable sensing to detect risks to submarine cables before damage occurs. By helping prevent unnecessary cable repairs, these systems can reduce disturbance to the seafloor while protecting one of the world’s most important communication networks.
SMART cables Scientists are transforming submarine communication cables into ocean observatories. In addition to carrying internet traffic, these cables can help detect earthquakes, monitor ocean temperatures, listen for whale calls and track changes in the ocean over time
By listening to the ocean continuously, research scientists can:
Better understand whale migration
Detect endangered whales in near real time
Help reduce ship strikes
Monitor underwater earthquakes and tsunamis
Track changes in ocean temperature
Better understand the health of the ocean
In their repairs and end-of-life
Millions of phones are replaced every year. When discarded instead of recycled, valuable materials are lost, while hazardous substances can pollute soil and waterways that eventually reach the ocean
Reimagined
IFixIt
Kyle Wiens founded iFixit to make it easier for people to repair phones instead of replacing them so valuable materials are used longer, and electronic waste is reduced. iFixit provides free repair guides, tools and advocates for everyone’s Right to Repair
Apple’s Daisy robot carefully disassembles iPhones to recover valuable materials such as cobalt, tungsten and rare earth elements so they can be reused in new products
