Campaign The Forest Is Calling Pick up the phone. The power to save endangered species is (literally) in your hands. It’s estimated that there are 6 billion smartphone users in the world right now. But the resources used to make your smartphone come at a very high cost. Coltan, a type of ore used to help store electricity in cellphones, is found in a lot of great ape habitats. The recent smartphone boom has encouraged upwards of 10,000 illegal miners to start extracting coltan from Africa’s forests. And the Democratic Republic of Congo, a keystone area for chimpanzees and other animals, is at the centre of this activity. The more we line up for the new iPhone on Black Friday, the more we feed this destruction. Every time we buy a new phone, we signal to miners that we want what they’re pulling from the earth. But studies have shown that cellphone recycling programs help slow down coltan extraction. Reusing and recycling cell phones reduces demand, and thus, reduces illegal mining in protected rainforests. Mineral mining that is a complex issue. But recycling your old cell phone is a simple action you can take. The Forest is Calling. Will you answer it? Dr. Jane Goodall Urges Us to Recycle Mobile Phones Take the Pledge What You Need to Know 99% of materials can be recovered when mobile devices are recycled, which means recycling your phone actually matters. And recycling mobile phones prevents toxic materials from polluting the soil and ensures metals, plastic and glass are reused. Many of the rare earth metals used to make cell phones are extracted from the forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to Great Apes and other endangered species. High demand for the minerals contained in cell phones perpetuates dangerous mining operations which fund the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Protecting the forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo is not just essential to people and animals, but is critical to curbing climate change. Find out where to recycle your phone When your cell phone cannot be used anymore, find a trusted place where it can be recycled Find a Location Spread the Word! Follow our accounts and share using #ForestIsCalling. Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn TikTok Do More Learn how you can use your freshly-recycled or gently-loved smartphone to combat the illegal wildlife trade in our Forever Wild campaign. Learn More More Actions Ivory Free Canada The ongoing slaughter of African elephants for their tusks has decimated elephant populations. Help us ban the domestic trade in elephant ivory. Get Involved ForeverWild Fight illegal wildlife trafficking so that animals can remain #ForeverWild. Get Involved
