Repurpose your old phone

This is a sponsored article from SustainabilityTracker.com member DV Safe Phone.

In less than a generation, smartphones have become essential to our lives. With over 80% of Australians owning a smartphone, it is hard to imagine even one day without our phone, nor the challenges that would bring.

Sadly, across Australia, many people in Australia face the reality of having their phones tracked, monitored, broken, or stolen by abusers to maintain control. It is reported that over two million victims of domestic abuse in Australia need a safe phone to access services.

This is where DV Safe Phone continues to transform the futures of thousands of vulnerable Australians.

Ashton Wood is the Founder and CEO of DV Safe Phone, a South-East-Queensland-based registered charity founded in 2020. As a COVID-19 lockdown loomed, Ashton sensed there would be people in need. 

“I was surprised to hear from an ex-police senior sergeant that they desperately needed working mobile phones to give to domestic violence victims as part of their safety and escape planning. I knew that this is what I needed to do, and I started DV Safe Phone straight away with the lofty vision of providing every domestic violence victim in Australia access to a safe phone.” said Ashton.

From its home base in Mooloolaba, Queensland, DV Safe Phone collects mobile phones from over 600 collection points. The phones deemed fit for reuse are cleaned, reformatted and sent to their Australia-wide network of more than 300 frontline DV agencies. These safe phones can form part of an individual’s safety plan, or enable them to look for work, get their children in school and provide a better future. 

Reducing, reusing and recycling

In addition to helping vulnerable Australians, DV Safe Phone also offers a safe and economical way to do our bit for the environment. With every Australian generating up to 25kg of e-waste annually and only 20% of mobile phones being recycled, DV Safe Phone can reuse and repair approximately 35% of the phones it receives, and the rest are recycled through its partner Mobile Muster. 

“We are proud of the circular economy we have created that enables individuals and businesses to provide their working phones to DV Safe Phone, and those phones will be given another life or recycled.

“We’re making a huge contribution on two fronts – last financial year, we repurposed 2,650 safe phones to DV victims through our partners and recycled 3,700 phones through Mobile Muster, diverting 606kg of e-waste from landfills and conserving precious resources,” said Ashton. 

You can be part of the solution, too

This Christmas, consider skipping the stocking stuffer, yes, the one that ends up in the bin before the prawns hit the table. Your donation of funds and phones will make an enormous difference to someone in need this Christmas. Companies can partner with DV Safe Phone to raise awareness of domestic violence, meet ESG and CSR obligations, and support the program by donating phones or financial assistance.

To learn more, please visit dvsafephone.org.au or follow them on Facebook and LinkedIn.

This is an article from a SustainabilityTracker.com Member. The views and opinions we express here don’t necessarily reflect our organisation.