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

Find out where to recycle your phone

When your cell phone cannot be used anymore, find a trusted place where it can be recycled

Spread the Word!

Follow our accounts and share using #ForestIsCalling.

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.

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. 

ForeverWild

Fight illegal wildlife trafficking so that animals can remain #ForeverWild.