What's the first thing you'd think about if you were designing a mobile phone? Maybe you'd try and create a keypad that was perfect for texting. Or make the device waterproof so it would survive being dropped down the toilet (hey, we've all done it!). But would you think about how your phone could be recycled at the end of its life?

Before anything else, our designers try and make sure a new device will be as kind to the planet (and its people) as possible. They do this by thinking about the life-cycle of the phone. For making a mobile phone we need hundreds of components, sourced from specialist suppliers. These components use a lot of different materials. It's important to make sure that materials that are been used in your phone can be safely recycled when the phone is no longer needed.

Because our designers think carefully about the materials they use and we choose eco-efficient recycling companies to take care of the recycling of our products, 65-80% of the materials in a Nokia mobile phone can now be recycled and given a second life. Best practices can recover 100 percent of the materials - partly as energy. Cover parts of our phones are clearly marked as recyclable.

Take a detailed look at what's in a typical device and how we’re reducing the number of substances of concern.

What happens in our own operations

Effective end-of-life practices close the life cycle loop, putting energy and materials back into circulation. End of life practices include recycling of electronic waste coming from our own operations, suppliers' operations and from the devices you drop off for recycling.

In our own operations we make sure that production scrap, invalid or obsolete components and mobile devices from Nokia employees, as well as old IT equipment are all recycled. Our goal is to reduce all waste to a minimum. In addition we have requirements for our component suppliers for recycling the waste from their own operations.

This picture shows how the recycling is managed through the whole life cycle from design to time when you drop off your phone for recycling.