Big Tech is selling us a lie. Thanks to years of aggressive release cycles and non-stop advertising, they’ve programmed most of us to believe that the only way to get great technology is by buying it new. But buying new is taking a massive toll. Every new smartphone creates 161 lbs of CO2e, uses 644 lbs of raw materials and wastes 30,000 gallons of water. Meanwhile, refurbished tech requires 91.3% less raw materials, generates 89% less e-waste, uses 86.4% less water and puts 91.6% less carbon emission into the air. That’s why refurbished technology leader Back Market has made it their mission to change people’s relationship with the way they buy tech. And to do just that, we created a provocative campaign to shake people out of their routines and make them question the value they were exclusively assigning to new tech. This year, in the lead up to Apple Keynote, we used Apple’s best tricks — leaks, tech influencers, high-profile ad campaigns, and more to promote the release of the first sustainable iPhone — The R Phone. Tech press, industry insider, influencers and customers alike assumed it was the first true “innovation” from Apple in quite some time. But on the day of Apple’s Keynote we revealed that Back Market, the industry leader in refurbished devices, was behind the campaign all along. And that the “R” wasn't a new device at all, but instead a “Refurbished” iPhone 14. Because the most sustainable phone you can buy isn’t the new one at all. It’s one that’s already here. Most importantly, as a result, Back Market sold enough refurbished devices to prevent 241,700 tons of carbon emissions from entering the earth’s atmosphere (that’s equivalent to the annual emissions of 30,000 US homes).