We stepped into the Mobile News Awards for the first time last week and it did not disappoint. Widely regarded as the UK’s most credible stage for the mobile industry, it brought together the very best in the space.

What stood out immediately was the strength of circularity in the room. From repair and refurbishment to recommerce and lifecycle services, circular businesses were not just present, they were winning 🥳

Here are 8 companies leading the charge. To explore the full list of finalists and winners, click here.

Likewize
🏆 Gadget Phone Insurance Partner
🏆 Lifecycle Initiative
🏆 Service Repair Provider
Likewize has built a global platform spanning insurance, repair, and device lifecycle management, helping millions of devices stay in use for longer. Its “repair-first, reuse-first” approach is driving measurable circular outcomes across the telecom ecosystem.

TMT First
🏆 Refurbishment Programme
🏆 Secondary Market Provider
TMT First delivers high-volume repair, refurbishment and lifecycle services, processing hundreds of thousands of devices each year. Its OEM-accredited repair capabilities and digital workflows are helping enterprises embed circularity into core operations. 

Apkudo
🏆 Innovative Product (Diagnostic SDK)
Apkudo enables real-time device intelligence across the supply chain, helping businesses optimise grading, routing and resale decisions. Its diagnostic SDK captures device condition at source, feeding accurate, standardised data into downstream workflows and unlocking higher recovery value at scale.

Fonehouse
🏆 Mobile Retailer
Fonehouse combines traditional mobile retail with repair and refurbished capabilities, giving customers access to more sustainable purchasing options. This shift reflects a wider move toward lifecycle-led value creation in the mobile market.

The Big Phone Store
🏆 Customer Service Consumer
The Big Phone Store operates a fully integrated model, buying, repairing and reselling devices from its UK facility. With rigorous testing and quality control, it demonstrates how operational ownership can enhance both customer experience and circular outcomes. 

musicMagpie
🏆 Online Retailer
musicMagpie has built one of the UK’s largest consumer trade-in platforms, refurbishing and reselling the vast majority of devices it acquires. By keeping up to 95% of tech in circulation, it plays a critical role in extending product lifecycles.

Back Market
🏆 Secondary Market Facilitator
Back Market connects consumers with certified refurbishers, making refurbished devices more accessible and trusted at scale. Its rapid growth highlights how demand for refurbished electronics is moving firmly into the mainstream. 

Mazuma Mobile
🏆 Trade-in & Resale Programme
Mazuma Mobile has processed millions of devices through its recycling and trade-in platform, giving old tech a second life or recovering valuable materials. By combining convenience with financial incentive, it plays a key role in reducing e-waste at scale. 

Congratulations to all involved 👏

Momentum in circularity is clearly accelerating, and it is being driven by companies like these.

Many of them, along with 1,000+ others, are already part of the Circular Connect Directory.

If you have not explored it yet, now is the time. Discover technologies, partners and innovators shaping the future of circular supply chains.

👉️ www.circularconnect.net 👈️

Looking for your next event? The Circular Calendar brings the circular economy’s conferences, meetups and summits into one place. Browse what’s coming up here.

We only partner with events that are genuinely relevant to our audience, and we make a point of attending them ourselves. If you’re heading to any of our partner events, let’s connect in person 🤝

Explore our curated selection of standout roles across circularity, sustainability, and reverse logistics. If you apply, let us know. We love hearing where Circular Connect opens doors:

Head of ESG
🏢 Silverstone
📍 Northamptonshire, UK
Apply

Refurbishment Operations Manager
🏢 Back Market
📍 London, UK (hybrid)
Apply

Associate Product Sustainability & Circularity Regulatory Specialist
🏢 Velux
📍 Horsholm, Denmark (hybrid)
Apply

Product Sustainability Specialist
🏢 Stone Island
📍 Ravarino, Italy
Apply

Senior SAP Reverse Logistics Solution Architect
🏢 NVIDIA
📍 Santa Clara, CA
Apply

Senior Manager, Materials & Manufacturing
🏢 Lydian
📍 Boston, MA
Apply

Containers and Packaging Manager
🏢 General Motors
📍 Warren, MI (hybrid)
Apply

Reverse Logistics Specialist
🏢 Oura
📍 San Francisco, CA
Apply

Technical Director - Waste
🏢 GHD
📍 Singapore
Apply

Head of Aftermarket
🏢 Jord International
📍 New South Wales, Australia
Apply

Fancy unlocking 6 months of Silver or Gold membership in the Circular Connect Directory? 👀

We’ve revamped our referral programme. You can now earn paid membership simply by introducing others to the Circular Connect Newsletter.

Take part 👇

Have a superb week and we’ll see you again on Friday!

Cheers to circularity,

#TeamCircularConnect #ConnectingTheCircularEconomy