With 44% of consumers saying environmental factors would have an influence on their mobile phone purchase(1), O2 launches Eco Rating on August 25, the UK’s first sustainable rating system for mobile phones.
The Sony Ericsson Elm tops the list of 65 mobile phones from six manufacturers, rated 4.3 out of 5. The scores reflect the environmental impact of a mobile phone, how it helps people lead more sustainable lives, and the ethical performance of the manufacturer. They will be published online and in O2 stores from this week.
Eco rating has been developed in partnership with independent sustainability experts Forum for the Future, in close collaboration with hand-set manufacturers. It’s a key initiative within O2’s Think Big sustainability programme and part of its commitment to bringing sustainable products and services to its customers.
There are 4.1 billion mobile phones in circulation worldwide with a combined carbon footprint over their lifetime of more than 100 million tones. That’s the equivalent of taking every car and HGV in the UK off the road and grounding domestic flights for a year(2). With 1712 mobile phones being replaced every minute in the UK, it’s easy to see how small improvements can make a huge difference(3), and Eco rating looks at much more than just CO2.
Eco rating’s scoring system is based on data supplied by manufacturers. It looks at the overall environmental impact of the device over its lifespan: the raw materials it contains; the impacts caused by its manufacture; its packaging; its longevity and energy efficiency; and how easy it is to reuse or recycle.
It considers the functionality of handsets, and highlights devices which help people live more sustainable lives, for example by replacing the need to own a separate camera or music player, or by providing software to plan journeys by public transport or on foot. It also takes into account the ethical performance of manufacturers including labour standards in the supply chain, safety and environmental principles, social inclusion and community programmes, and carbon and water management.
By highlighting the social and environmental impacts of mobile phones and celebrating the best, O2 hopes to encourage healthy competition from the handset manufacturers to drive up standards and help the wider industry understand the role it can play in creating a sustainable future.
“We know that sustainability is important for many of our customers and for the first time, they will have the whole picture from which to make a full and balanced purchasing decision,” said Ronan Dunne, O2’s UK Chief Executive. “Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the social and environmental impact of the technology they buy and we believe this kind of product transparency will help empower them to make greener choices.”
Peter Madden, Chief Executive of Forum for the Future, said, “Billions of people worldwide are using mobile phones to organize their lives. We want to reward manufacturers who make efforts to reduce their environmental impacts and think creatively about how their devices can contribute to a better world.”
“We are very proud that 5 out of the top 10 models in the rating come from Sony Ericsson and that our GreenHeart model Elm is leading the pack,” says Mats Pellbäck Scharp, Head of Sustainability at Sony Ericsson. “Of all attempts to compare environmental performance, we believe this rating system gives consumers the clearest picture on the environmental impact of their phone.”
Eco rating joins a number of initiatives from O2 designed to bring environmental products and services to its customers. O2 pioneered the Sim only market, offering its best value deals to customers who choose not to upgrade to a new handset each year and two million handsets are now on the O2 Simplicity Tariff. The cut in carbon emissions is equivalent to taking 3700 cars off the road each year, assuming these customers would have upgraded their handset without the tariff. Last year, O2 launched O2 Recycle, which has to date paid out over £7m to customers recycling their old mobile phones. O2 also brought to market the Sony Ericsson Naite, the first of the manufacturer’s Greenheart range of mobile phones which had a 15% reduced carbon footprint(4).
All of these initiatives fall under O2’s Think Big sustainability programme, which is enabling customers to make a real difference for people and the planet. For more information, visit www.o2.co.uk/thinkbig.
Notes:
The six manufacturers participating in the scheme are: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, HTC, LG, Samsung and Palm. The handsets included represent 93% of the devices ranged by O2. The highest scoring handset is the Sony Ericsson Elm with an Eco rating of 4.3 out of 5. Six phones then tied in second place with a score of 4.0. These are in alphabetical order: Nokia 1800, Nokia 6700, Samsung GT-S8500, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini pro and the Sony Ericsson Zylo. Scores for all 65 devices can be found on O2’s online shop, https://shop.o2.co.uk.
(1) KSBR research conducted for O2, 2009.
(2) In 2008 in the UK, passenger cars emitted 72.1 million tonnes of CO2, HGVs 23.5 million tonnes and domestic civil aviation 2.1 million tonnes. Taken from the Department for Transport’s Transport Statistics GB 2009, Chapter 3, Energy and the environment – data tables, Table 3.7. http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/energyenvironment/
(3) Source: Regenersis. http://www.regenersis.com/our-services/reuse–recycling/interesting-facts-about-mobile-phone-recycling
(4) 15% claim based on a full environmental Life Cycle Assessment and compared against the 2008 W890 handset. Methodology reviewed by Forum for the Future.
About O2 UK
- Telefónica O2 UK Limited is a leading communications company for consumers and businesses in the UK, with 21.6 million mobile customers and over 700,000 fixed broadband customers as at 30 June 2010.
- It is part of Telefónica Europe plc, a business division of Telefónica S.A., which uses O2 as its commercial brand in the UK, Ireland, Slovakia, Germany and the Czech Republic, and has over 54.5 million customers across these markets.
- In 2006, Telefónica Europe acquired Be, the UK fixed broadband provider, and in October 2007, O2 launched its broadband service using the Be network.
- O2 is the naming rights partner of The O2, the world-class entertainment venue.
- O2 employs around 13,000 people in the UK and has 490 retail stores.
- O2 was ranked highest in customer satisfaction for both UK mobile and fixed broadband customers, according to the J. D. Power and Associates UK Mobile and Fixed Broadband Studies 2009.
- O2 was launched on 1 May 2002 and now has more customers than any other UK mobile network.
- O2’s UK mobile network covers 99% of the UK’s population. O2’s 3G network covers over 84% of the UK population and is fully HSDPA-enabled, providing speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps for customers with an HSDPA-enabled device.
- Telefónica Europe also owns 50% of Tesco Mobile, which operates in the UK and Ireland, and 50% of Tchibo Mobilfunk in Germany.
- For further information about O2, visit www.o2.co.uk.
Source: O2.
