Back Market, the first marketplace dedicated to refurbished electronics, is pursuing its international expansion strategy, launching in the UK to tackle the pressing issue of e-waste.

Founded in France in 2014, Back Market offers a platform across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Austria and the United States – providing an efficient way to find and buy reliable renewed devices from certified experts.

Given that the average UK consumer exports 24.9kg of e-waste – that is, old mobiles, computers and devices – it is clearly an issue that is set to affect the environment, health, and more. 60% of UK-based consumers would consider going second-hand for their next smartphone, and a number of brands including GiffGaff have capitalised on that in recent marketing campaigns.

Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Co-founder of Back Market, said:

“The overproduction of new devices and the explosion of e-waste are problems on a global scale, so our project must become global.

We are reversing the trend, we are starting to see that sales of new smartphones are stagnating, that manufacturers are out of innovation and that more consumers are turning to refurbished devices.”

Vianney Vaute, Co-founder of Back Market, said:

“The United Kingdom is the leading e-commerce market in Europe. In general, British customers have an appetite for quality tech products at reduced prices, all of this mixed with the emergence of an ever-increasing ecological awareness.”