{"686886":{"#nid":"686886","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Industry Standards and Tech Advances Make Pre-Owned Electronics a Viable Holiday Gift\u00a0Option","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022theconversation-article-body\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EElectronic gifts are very popular, and in recent years, retailers have been offering significant discounts on smartphones, e-readers and other electronics labeled as \u201cpre-owned.\u201d Research I have co-led finds that these pre-owned options are becoming increasingly viable, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1287\/msom.2023.0444\u0022\u003Ethanks in part to laws and policies that encourage recycling and reuse\u003C\/a\u003E of devices that might previously have been thrown away.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmazon, Walmart and Best Buy have dedicated pages on their websites for pre-owned devices. Manufacturers like Apple and Dell, as well as mobile service providers like AT\u0026amp;T and Verizon, offer their own options for customers to buy used items. Their sales rely on the availability of a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2023\/03\/the-enormous-opportunity-of-e-waste-recycling\/\u0022\u003Elarge volume of used products\u003C\/a\u003E, which are supplied by the emergence of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/second-hand-electronic-products-market-090000899.html\u0022\u003Ean entire line of businesses\u003C\/a\u003E that process used, discarded or returned electronics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose developments are some of the results of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1287\/msom.2023.0444\u0022\u003Ewidespread innovations across the electronics industry\u003C\/a\u003E that supply chain researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.psu.edu\/suresh\/\u0022\u003ESuresh Muthulingam\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/suvrat\/\u0022\u003EI\u003C\/a\u003E have linked to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/calrecycle.ca.gov\/electronics\/statutes\/\u0022\u003ECalifornia\u2019s Electronic Waste Recycling Act\u003C\/a\u003E, passed in 2003.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ERecycling Innovation\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOriginally intended to reduce the amount of electronic waste flowing into the state\u2019s landfills, California\u2019s law did far more, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1287\/msom.2023.0444\u0022\u003Eunleashing a wave of innovation\u003C\/a\u003E, our analysis found.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe analyzed the patent-filing activity of hundreds of electronics firms over a 17-year time span from 1996 to 2012. We found that the passage of California\u2019s law not only prompted electronics manufacturers to engage in sustainability-focused innovation, but it also sparked a surge in general innovation around products, processes and techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFaced with new regulations, electronics manufacturers and suppliers didn\u2019t just make small adjustments, such as tweaking their packaging to ensure compliance. They fundamentally rethought their design and manufacturing processes, to create products that use recycled materials and that are easily recyclable themselves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, Samsung\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/global\/samsung-galaxy-s25-receives-2025-rema-design-for-recycling-award\u0022\u003EGalaxy S25\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003Esmartphone\u003C\/strong\u003E is a new product that, when released in May 2025, was made of eight different recycled materials, including aluminum, neodymium, steel, plastics and fiber.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECombined with advanced recycling technologies and processes, these materials can be recovered and reused several times in new devices and products. For example, Apple invented the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CrTd3VKLSrz\/?hl=en\u0022\u003EDaisy Robot\u003C\/a\u003E, which disassembles old iPhones in a matter of seconds and recovers a variety of precious metals, including copper and gold. These materials, which would otherwise have to be mined from rock, are reused in Apple\u2019s manufacturing process for new iPhones and iPads.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHow Do Consumers Benefit?\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the past two decades, 25 U.S. states and Washington D.C. have passed laws requiring \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/electronics-batteries-management\/regulations-electronics-stewardship\u0022\u003Eelectronics recycling and refurbishing\u003C\/a\u003E, the process of restoring a pre-owned electronic device so that it can function like new.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe establishment of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ctia.org\/news\/ctia-establishes-industry-standard-for-grading-pre-owned-wireless-devices\u0022\u003Eindustry guidelines and standards\u003C\/a\u003E also means that all pre-owned devices are thoroughly tested for functionality and cosmetic appearance before resale.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECompanies\u2019 deeper engagement with innovation appears to have created organizational momentum that carried over into other areas of product development. For example, in our study, we found that the passage of California\u2019s law directly resulted in a flurry of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1287\/msom.2023.0444\u0022\u003Epatents related to semiconductor materials, data storage and battery technology\u003C\/a\u003E, among others. These scientific advances have made devices more durable, repairable and recyclable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the average consumer, the recycling laws and the resulting industry responses mean used electronics are available with similar reliability, warranties and return policies as new devices \u2013 and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mordorintelligence.com\/industry-reports\/us-refurbished-and-used-mobile-phones-market\u0022\u003Eat prices as much as 50% lower\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cimg style=\u0022border-color:!important;border-style:none;box-shadow:none !important;margin:0 !important;max-height:1px !important;max-width:1px !important;min-height:1px !important;min-width:1px !important;opacity:0 !important;outline:none !important;padding:0 !important;\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/270347\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\u0022 alt=\u0022The Conversation\u0022 width=\u00221\u0022 height=\u00221\u0022 referrerpolicy=\u0022no-referrer-when-downgrade\u0022\u003E\u003C!-- Below is The Conversation\u0027s page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --\u003E\u003C!-- End of code. If you don\u0027t see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article is republished from \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E under a Creative Commons license. Read the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/new-industry-standards-and-tech-advances-make-pre-owned-electronics-a-viable-holiday-gift-option-270347\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPre-owned options are becoming increasingly viable, thanks in part to laws and policies that encourage recycling and reuse of devices that might previously have been thrown away.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Pre-owned options are becoming increasingly viable, thanks in part to laws and policies that encourage recycling and reuse of devices that might previously have been thrown away."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2025-12-10 14:23:37","changed_gmt":"2026-03-19 13:08:45","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678840":{"id":"678840","type":"image","title":"It\u2019s easier than ever to repair or recycle electronic devices. Elisa Schu\/picture alliance via Getty Images","body":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s easier than ever to repair or recycle electronic devices. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/news-photo\/november-2025-berlin-an-employee-checks-a-cell-phone-in-the-news-photo\/2248755177\u0022\u003EElisa Schu\/picture alliance via Getty Images\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765808873","gmt_created":"2025-12-15 14:27:53","changed":"1765808873","gmt_changed":"2025-12-15 14:27:53","alt":"It\u2019s easier than ever to repair or recycle electronic devices. Elisa Schu\/picture alliance via Getty Images","file":{"fid":"262929","name":"file-20251204-56-npm444.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/15\/file-20251204-56-npm444.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/15\/file-20251204-56-npm444.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":250466,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/15\/file-20251204-56-npm444.jpg?itok=Kc2LvIpM"}}},"media_ids":["678840"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/new-industry-standards-and-tech-advances-make-pre-owned-electronics-a-viable-holiday-gift-option-270347","title":"Read This Article on The Conversation"}],"groups":[{"id":"658168","name":"Experts"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1274","name":"Scheller College of Business"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Ch5\u003EAuthor:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/suvrat-dhanorkar-579449\u0022\u003ESuvrat Dhanorkar\u003C\/a\u003E, Associate Professor of Operations Management, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/georgia-institute-of-technology-1310\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eshelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}