Kinetic Sculpture 'Circulation', Brings the Mobile Circular Economy to Life at MWC23
On 27th February 2023 in collaboration with the GSMA, Kingfisher brought the mobile circular economy to life at this year’s MWC Barcelona (MWC23). ‘Circulation’ is a kinetic sculpture created to highlight how through circulation, mobile devices can go on to live second, third and even fourth lives.
Created by renowned Helsinki and Tokyo-based artist collective, Sun Effects, ‘Circulation’ is a kinetic three-dimensional sculpture standing at nearly three and a half metres tall with a 14-metre-long aluminium spiral rotating on a central axis.
Visually imposing, the spiral encases 80 refurbished phones, acting as windows into the circular economy, their displays synched1 to create one big continuous screen. The continuous kinetic movement of the piece is paired to a bespoke soundscape2, turning these devices from phones, into tools of expression, to denote the concept of circulation. From having had at least one life, these devices come together to form a kinetic sculpture, before they are then refurbished and circulated back into use.
Circulation by Kingfisher hits headlines
With about 1.5 billion new phones sold each year, the industry is facing an enormous challenge.
It’s the desire for the latest model that drives the mobile phone industry but after an average of 2 - 3 years use, 90% of these handsets won’t be formally recycled.
Companies are being forced to find a sustainable future for phones.
Al Jazeera's Charlie Angela reports from Barcelona, Spain
Georgiann Reigle, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Kingfisher commented: “All over the world, people are making consumption and lifestyle decisions with the environment in mind. They’re donating, recycling and buying ethically, with more and more consumers expecting brands to do the same. Within the telco space, recent studies have highlighted, out of the 1.5 billion new phones forecast to be shipped in 2023, 83% of emissions will come from their manufacture, shipping, and first-year usage.
“This art piece, ‘Circulation’, was borne in collaboration with the GSMA, and aims to demonstrate that through maximising the longevity of devices, it’s possible to extend their lifetime across two, three or maybe even four owners.
“A thriving circular economy means that everyone benefits; from consumers who want the latest phones with exciting new features, to carriers who reap the rewards of having happy customers - all whilst drastically reducing the environmental impact on the planet.”
"“This art piece, ‘Circulation’, was borne in collaboration with the GSMA, and aims to demonstrate that through maximising the longevity of devices, it’s possible to extend their lifetime across two, three or maybe even four owners"."
— Georgiann Reigle , Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Steven Moore, Head of Climate Action at the GSMA said: “One of the telecoms industry’s biggest environmental impacts is from customers accessing connectivity through connected devices. Extending the lifetime of all smartphones in the world by just one year, has the potential to save up to 21.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually by 2030, equal to taking more than 4.7 million cars off the road.
“Our collaboration with Kingfisher shows there is another way; that through a circular economy, we can drive the industry towards a sustainable future where devices have as long a lifetime as possible limiting the impact on the environment without limiting choice for consumers.”
"“Our collaboration with Kingfisher shows there is another way; that through a circular economy, we can drive the industry towards a sustainable future where devices have as long a lifetime as possible limiting the impact on the environment without limiting choice for consumers.”"
— Steven Moore , Head of Climate Action at the GSMA
Sustainability was the guiding principle throughout the creation of the sculpture; from concept development and the materials that were used, through to the modular design of the piece which makes it easy to transport in the most ecologically possible way. After MWC23, all 80 used smartphones will be circulated back to live a third life through Kingfisher’s collaboration with GSMA.
With sustainability high on the agenda at this year’s MWC Barcelona (MWC23), ‘Circulation’ is a collaboration between Kingfisher and the GSMA to raise awareness of the value of used devices and encourage the industry to move from a take-make-waste model to a circular, more sustainable approach.
According to the GSMA, extending the lifetime of all smartphones in the world by just one year has the potential to save up to 21.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually by 2030, equal to taking more than 4.7 million cars off the road. In 2016, the mobile industry was the first to commit fully to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The GSMA has set a climate ambition on behalf of the industry to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.