Tre Sverige has witnessed premium quality refurbished smartphones become a natural part of their product lineup. Let’s discover how partnering with Foxway has helped shape these results.
At a time when sustainability and innovation go hand in hand, Tre Sverige and Foxway have forged a partnership that sets a new standard in the telecom sector.
This collaboration promotes circularity with a holistic setup. Foxway’s trade-in solution helps Tre to retrieve used devices from the market, and with whitelabeling, Tre can sell premium quality refurbished mobile devices packaged with their own branding. The combination results in a genuinely circular approach that makes more sustainable tech choices easily accessible for the Swedish consumers.
Whitelabeling by Foxway includes:
Full packaging customization: our partners can personalize the box, inserts, and branding.
Device quality assurance: every phone undergoes testing and grading before delivery. Likewise, all devices meet EU regulations and other statutory requirements.
Flexible box content: adapt chargers, cables, SIM tools, and documentation to match market needs.
Seamless integration: works with existing sales and distribution models.
Foxway met with Andree Hirsch, Circular Business Manager at Tre Sverige, to share insights from the successful partnership between the two companies.
About Tre
As one of Sweden’s largest mobile operators, Tre Sverige serves over 2.8 million customers. The company operates nationwide and provides coverage for 99,3% of the Swedish population. Services and electronic goods are offered through an online store and a chain of 37 stores providing accessibility to their customers. With a turnover of approximately SEK 8.2 billion and a workforce of around 1,100 employees, Tre has established itself as one of the leaders in the Swedish telecommunications market. In 2024, Tre saw their strongest financial year yet increasing their subscription base by over 160,000 — the largest growth in the Swedish market. Ranked as one of Sweden’s best workplaces by Great Place to Work, Tre was also awarded “Most Attractive Employer Among Women in Tech 2024” by Karriärföretagen.
Whether it’s their dedication to fostering a positive and inclusive work environment, focusing on customer satisfaction or environmental impact, Tre’s philosophy is about challenging the norm to make things better.
Beginning of the partnership — why Foxway?
Having a clear goal of offering a holistic set of services to their customers, Tre is upfront about their reasons for partnering with Foxway. In short, the comprehensive suite of solutions that enabled a swift and straightforward implementation made the choice easy.
“One key reason we chose Foxway was their full suite of solutions that got us started fast with circular services. Since then, the partnership has grown into a trustful, stable collaboration with strong engagement from Foxway as an industry expert. During our recent visit to the Estonian tech center, we saw a level of professionalism and automated processes that further validated we’ve made the right choice for our business.”
Andree Hirsch, Circular Business Manager at Tre Sverige
The collaboration began in 2021 with a trade-in program and expanded the year after to include the resale of refurbished smartphones. The devices are sold under Tre’s own brand, thanks to a fully integrated whitelabel solution. This means that Foxway handles everything from sourcing, grading, and refurbishment to customized box contents and partner-branded packaging, while Tre can focus on catering to their customers. Moreover, Tre can easily adapt their offer based on customer insights without compromising on scale or speed.
Experts predict continuous growth for the secondary device market
Like any other, the used device market has its challenges to face. While the European refurbished smartphone sales reached record levels in terms of both sales and share in 2023 (Counterpoint), the market started showing signs of flatlining. In Q1 2025, CCS Insight reported the global second-hand smartphone market fell 2% year-on-year — the first decline in over three years — due to weaker retail traffic and fewer trade-ins.
Despite this dip and a more modest growth during the whole H1 in 2025, the major market researchers expect recovery in H2 of 2025, supported by stronger trade-in programs and new initiatives in the industry — aligning with the general long-term growth trends predicted for the refurbished device market.
Being active in the secondary device market and seeing these trends first-hand has unveiled valuable insights for Tre Sverige in their consumer behavior. In their experience, it’s also a consistently growing segmentthat has expanded across all age groups.
“Services focusing on circularity are a central part for us going forward and we expect market demand to accelerate further in the coming years.”
Andree Hirsch, Circular Business Manager at Tre Sverige
While one of the primary motivators for customers opting for used mobiles over new continues to be the value-for money aspect, the desire to reduce one’s negative influence on the environment is an evident part of the decision-making process. This shift in consumer preferences underscores the importance of offering more sustainable products and services in today’s market.
Customer promises paired with a commitment to sustainability
Beyond initiatives involving the companies’ own emissions reductions (such as confirmed science-based targets), both companies strive to support society at large by enabling circular practices. Tre has strongly integrated circularity goals into their core focus areas, and the partnership with Foxway helps to turn those visions into actions.
By offering services that make it easy for customers to return used devices or buy refurbished, Tre actively helps extend the life of technology and advocates for practices that mitigate negative climate impact. Thanks to the partnership with Foxway, Tre was able to help avoid 881,686 kg of CO₂e emissions in 2024 alone (see Foxway sustainability reports for an overview of the methodology and calculation principles).
Customers have the same ease of choice while shopping for devices. Tre has integrated refurbished smartphones into their core offer, which makes them a natural option next to brand new. Transparent warranty conditions and return policies help lessen the distinction even further, especially coming from a seller and brand customers already trust. Whether motivated by price, environmental impact, or brand loyalty, Tre witnesses a growing trend in customers seeing refurbished as a great new alternative.
Successful scalability and trust go hand in hand
From Foxway’s perspective, the success of the collaboration comes down to a shared vision and being open to trying new approaches in the day-to-day work.
“Tre is a great example of what’s possible when your partner is committed. They’re open-minded, easy to work with, and always ready to test new ideas. It’s a constant dialogue on how to advance this business together, and we are happy to share our knowledge to help Tre make the best decisions. All that put together is what allows us to achieve real results fast.”
Morten Steen Jensen, Head of Sales MNO & Retail at Foxway
We’re always thinking of the next step on how to enhance our solutions and allow our partners to advance in their business. A recent upgrade to the whitelabel products collaboration with Tre was the addition of strategic forecasting. The result came as expected — a well-planned supply leading to a notable rise in sales.
In just six months, the volume matched close to 70% of last year’s total. With general demand increasing alongside the service upgrades, Tre’s premium quality refurbished smartphones segment is on track for promising results by the end of 2025 and beyond.
Looking ahead
The success of Tre and Foxway’s collaboration shows that circular practices in tech are not just possible, but scalable. With used and refurbished devices gaining momentum among consumers of all ages, the secondary market is becoming a mainstream choice. The challenge now is not whether demand will exist, but how quickly the industry can adapt to meet it. For Tre and Foxway, the ambition is clear: keep pushing boundaries, stay ahead of customer expectations, and continue setting new standards in the circular tech scene.
