For Private Users

Use what you have for longer.

Most of a device's environmental cost is paid before it reaches you. Keeping it alive for one extra year is more impactful than almost anything you can do with it once it dies.

78%

of a typical laptop's lifetime CO₂ comes from manufacturing — not electricity use.

Before you buy

Step 0

The greenest device is the one already in your home. The second greenest is one that already exists somewhere else — refurbished, second-hand, or hand-me-down — because its manufacturing footprint has already been paid.

New devices are the most expensive option both in euros and in carbon. Treat them as a last resort, not a first reflex.

Where to buy refurbished

Established sellers with warranty and condition grading. Local Luxembourgish options are marked LU.

Back in Use

Luxembourg specialist for refurbished Apple devices. Up to 2 years warranty, accepts eco-cheques.

backinuse.lu/en LU

Hifi International

Luxembourg electronics retailer with refurbished smartphones (Apple, Samsung) and warranty.

hifi.lu/en/refurbished-smartphones LU

Refurbished.lu

Luxembourg marketplace for reconditioned phones, tablets and laptops from multiple sellers.

refurbished.lu/ EU

Refurbed

European refurbisher (AT). 12-month warranty, 30-day return window, broad selection.

refurbed.lu/ EU

Rebuy

German refurbisher: phones, laptops, tablets, consoles. Clear condition grading.

rebuy.de/ EU

Amazon Renewed

Aggregator with broad selection and Amazon's return policy. Quality varies by seller.

amazon.de/-/en/b?ie=UTF8&node=10676131031

Buying privately? Six checks before you pay.

Facebook Marketplace, eBay Kleinanzeigen, Vinted and similar offer the cheapest prices but no warranty and limited recourse. Always verify:

Inspect in person. Turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, check battery health (iPhone: Settings → Battery → Battery Health; Android: Settings → Battery or via diagnostic app).
Ask for the original invoice. Protects you if the device turns out to be stolen and gets remotely blocked by the manufacturer.
No activation locks. iPhone: Find My iPhone off, Apple ID removed. Samsung: Samsung account removed. A locked device is a brick.
Full factory reset. No accounts, no installed apps from the previous owner. Seeing someone else's data is a red flag — walk away.
Check the IMEI / serial number on the manufacturer's site or imeicheck.com to confirm the device isn't reported lost or stolen.
Use buyer protection. For shipped purchases, prefer Vinted Payment, eBay Buyer Protection or PayPal Goods & Services. Avoid bank transfers to unknown sellers.

Already own a device? Apply the 4 Rs.

Step 1

When something stops working — or just feels too slow — go through these four steps in order. Each one expands into practical actions.

Reuse — get more out of what you have Step 01

Before assuming hardware is the problem, check whether software clutter is. A thorough cleanup often restores years of useful life.

Free up storage

A nearly-full disk is the most common cause of sluggishness. SSDs and phones slow down dramatically above 85–90 % capacity because they need free space to manage writes efficiently.

Quick wins: empty trash and downloads, delete videos already backed up to cloud storage, uninstall apps unused for 6+ months. Windows: Settings → System → Storage (turn on Storage Sense). macOS: About This Mac → Storage → Manage. Android / iOS: Settings has built-in "free up space" suggestions.

Repurpose older devices

A laptop that struggles with the latest Windows can still excel as:

• A media centre for the TV (Kodi, Jellyfin, Plex)
• A home server (NAS with OpenMediaVault, Pi-hole network ad-blocker)
• A dedicated kids' computer for homework
• A distraction-free writing machine with minimal Linux
• A digital photo frame (old tablet on a shelf)

Old smartphones become dashcams, baby monitors, smart-home controllers or offline car music players.

Repair — when is it worth it? Step 02

Rule of thumb: if the repair quote exceeds 65 % of the device's current refurbished price, replacement (refurbished) usually wins on cost and carbon. Below that, repair almost always wins.

Reference prices for the 65 % rule

Use these refurbished market values as your benchmark. Prices observed in early 2026 on Back In Use LU, Refurbed and Rebuy.

Indicative refurbished prices, condition "very good"
Device	Released	Refurbished price	65 % threshold
iPhone 13 (128 GB)	2021	≈ 330–390 €	≈ 215–255 €
iPhone 14 (128 GB)	2022	≈ 420–500 €	≈ 275–325 €
iPhone 15 (128 GB)	2023	≈ 550–650 €	≈ 360–420 €
Samsung Galaxy S22	2022	≈ 280–360 €	≈ 180–235 €
MacBook Air M1 (2020)	2020	≈ 500–700 €	≈ 325–455 €
MacBook Air M2 (2022)	2022	≈ 750–950 €	≈ 490–615 €
iPad Air 5 (Wi-Fi 64 GB)	2022	≈ 350–450 €	≈ 230–295 €
ThinkPad T14 Gen 2	2021	≈ 400–550 €	≈ 260–360 €

Read it like this: if a quote to repair your iPhone 13 comes in above ~250 €, a refurbished replacement is the better deal.

Where to get help in Luxembourg

Repair Cafés are free community workshops where volunteers help diagnose and fix electronics, bikes and clothing. Organised across the country by repaircafe.lu with CELL ASBL — regular events at the Schluechthaus in Luxembourg City, plus Bertrange, Esch-sur-Alzette (Facilitec) and other municipalities.

iFixit publishes free step-by-step guides and sells the parts for thousands of devices: ifixit.com. Most battery and screen swaps need only a precision screwdriver and patience.

Commercial repair shops are widely available in Luxembourg for screen and battery replacements. Always get a written quote first and compare it against the table above.

Refurbish — refresh what already works Step 03

Refurbishment is about making a working device feel new again, so you don't feel the urge to replace it. A two-hour weekend afternoon can extend an active life by years.

Weekend refurbishment checklist

Clean thoroughly — keyboard with compressed air, screen with microfibre cloth and distilled water, ports with a wooden toothpick.
Replace the battery if it's below 80 % health (iPhones) or shows noticeably shorter runtime (laptops). 40–90 € at a repair shop.
Fresh screen protector + new case. Tiny investment, big psychological refresh.
Backup, then factory-reset. A clean OS install feels dramatically faster than years of accumulated software.
Update firmware and BIOS. Manufacturers ship efficiency and security patches years after release.
Add an SSD if the laptop still has a mechanical HDD. Single biggest performance boost you can give to a pre-2018 machine.

Recycle — last resort, done right Step 04

When a device truly can't be reused, repaired, refurbished, donated or sold, it must be recycled — never thrown in household waste. Electronics contain recoverable materials (copper, aluminium, gold, rare earths) and hazardous ones (lead, mercury, lithium) that pollute groundwater if dumped.

Wipe your data — properly

Deleting files or emptying the trash does not remove data. The space is just marked as available; the data stays until overwritten. Before giving up any device:

• iPhone / iPad: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Erase All Content and Settings
• Android: Settings → System → Reset → Erase all data (factory reset)
• Windows: Settings → System → Recovery → Reset this PC → Remove everything → Clean data: ON
• macOS: System Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Erase All Content and Settings
• Loose drives: BleachBit or boot from DBAN (dban.org) for multi-pass overwrites

For maximum certainty on highly sensitive data, physically destroy the storage chip after wiping.

"Broken" is often still worth selling

Devices you consider dead are often worth money to refurbishers and tinkerers. Cracked screens, won't-boot laptops, swollen-battery tablets — all have salvage value. Try Back Market Trade-in and Rebuy, or list on local marketplaces as "Defekt — für Bastler". Typical payouts: 20–80 €.

Donate to Digital Inclusion Luxembourg

Digital Inclusion is a Luxembourgish non-profit that accepts working IT equipment, refurbishes it with volunteers, and redistributes it to people facing digital exclusion — students, refugees, low-income families. They also accept devices with the storage drive removed for security. A five-year-old laptop that feels too old for you can transform someone's access to education or work.