Flip.ro, the Romanian company that encourages circular economy by refurbishing smartphones, which they reintroduce on the market as good as new, offers information about their first 3 years. According to Flip’s data, a refurbished smartphone reduces the quantity of carbon dioxide associated with producing new phones by 63 percent, on average. Through its activity, the start-up has contributed, so far, to saving 3,188 tons of CO2, a quantity equivalent to the absorption capacity of four forests the size of Herăstrău Park.

In the company’s three years of activity, over 210.000 clients have used their services, either to buy or sell phones, and 9 out of 10 consumers recommend Flip. The company has over 160 employees at the moment, and in 2022, it expanded to two new markets in the region. Besides the option of selling smartphones through the platform, Flip collaborates with other large electronics retailers (Flanco, eMAG, Samsung, Huawei), offering buyback services directly in their stores, using a dedicated app, Flip BuyBack. Through these services, they contribute to diminishing the quantity of e-waste generated by unused phones, becoming the largest buyback provider on the Romanian market. Currently, Flip is the largest company refurbishing and selling refurbished smartphones on the local market.

Flip’s mission is to encourage more responsible consumer attitudes among both final users, as well as Romanian companies. So far, over 7500 companies have used Flip’s services, most coming from domains such as FMCG, construction, commercial or hospitality. The benefits offered to companies include financing options for SMEs, ensuring, at the same time, the safest data erasure practices, through their ISO 17065 certification.