In his program, Emmanuel Macron offers a “return bonus” for old smartphones. The presidential candidate does not give more details about the implementation of the measure, but explains that he wishes to encourage the French to recycle their electronic devices left in the closet.
Digital is now a key issue and a major theme of the presidential election. Each of the two qualified candidates in the second round devotes a greater or lesser part of their program to it. Emmanuel Macron notably announced that the TV license fee will be abolished if he is re-elected. Although this measure will probably be acclaimed by many, it does not solve the major problem of our time: the waste of resources.
In total, it is estimated that between 53 and 113 million smartphones are not used in France. Rather than reselling them or giving them away, users most often prefer to keep them warm in a drawer. However, the latter represent a considerable source of untapped rare metals, which would allow France to reduce its dependence on other exporting countries.
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Emmanuel Macron offers a return bonus for electronic devices
In order to encourage the French to return their old smartphones and other electronic devices, the current President of the Republic therefore offers in his program what he calls a “premium on return”. If few details are currently provided regarding this measure, we imagine that users donating their device to recycling or reconditioning organizations will benefit from a discount on their next purchase.
“This bonus will encourage the collection of these objects which today are real urban mines in our pockets and in our drawers and which tomorrow can allow us to be less dependent on rare or critical materials and metals for our society”, underlines his campaign team. The amount of this premium remains to be determined. This will require negotiating with distributors and refurbishers.
This measure is in addition to the other digital projects of the presidential candidate. The latter has already expressed his desire to dismantle Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, to put an end to anonymity on the Internet or to create a European metaverse.
