Our thinking

Back Market’s campaign against fast tech

25 April, 2025

What if your next phone upgrade came with better resolution but a bleaker view? 

That’s the idea behind Back Market’s latest viral campaign. The French company, one of the leading online marketplaces for buying verified refurbished tech, is urging consumers to rethink the cost of “fast tech.” The campaign features two images of a couple taken 15 years apart, one on an iPhone 3G and the other on an iPhone 16. The difference in image quality is striking, but so is the backdrop: a once-majestic glacier, now reduced to bare rock. 

It’s a clever gut punch, reminding us that the real downgrade may be happening outside the frame. Back Market’s campaign calls out our obsession with the latest models, and the environmental toll of a throwaway tech culture. 

To put it into perspective, the world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, and less than a quarter of it was properly recycled. That’s enough discarded phones, laptops, and gadgets to circle the globe in truck. 

So maybe the smarter upgrade isn’t a new device. It’s fixing what we have, handing it down, or buying refurbished. Back Market, and other providers like giffgaff, make that easy, offering professionally restored devices with flexible pay-as-you-go options and even cashback for your old tech. A smoother experience for you, and a smaller footprint for the planet.

By Sirisha Venkatesh