Eco warrior wars
Sony Ericsson's Elm handset has been named the most sustainable handset on the market, according to O2's new eco rating system for mobiles.
The telecom giant rated 65 mobiles from six manufacturers, exploring the handsets' environmental impact, how they help people lead sustainable lives, plus the manufacturer's ethical performance and the Elm came out top, scoring 4.3 out of 5 for its green credentials.
O2 said almost three quarters of consumers shopping for a new phone are influenced by environmental factors and its ratings system could help people make an ethical choice.
The company estimates there are 4.1bn mobiles in circulation worldwide, accounting for a combined carbon footprint of 100m tonnes. It also said around 1,712 mobiles are replaced every minute in the UK so small improvements to phones' efficiency can make a huge difference.
Seven phones tied in second place, scoring 4 out of five. They were: Nokia's 1800, C7 and 6700, the Samsung GT-S8500 and Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 mini, Xperia X10 mini pro and Zylo handsets.
O2 joined with Forum for the Future to launch the scheme, which looks at the handsets' raw materials, manufacturing process, packaging, energy efficiency, recycling possibilities and how long they are predicted to last. The phone company said its chart aims to encourage competition between handset manufactures to create greener phones.
"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," he added.
However, while the chart is said to cover 93 percent of devices sold by O2 and is heralded as the most helpful consumer guide for choosing a sustainable phone so far, there are a couple of noticeable omissions from the manufacturer line-up.
According to The Guardian, Apple has refused to allow its iPhones to be included in the chart, while Blackberry manufacturer RIM has promised to join next year.
Gary Cook, IT sector analyst for Greenpeace International, told the newspaper: "Transparency is always an issue for consumer electronics companies, who claim that providing too much information gives away competitive advantage. But consumers also deserve to know the full story. While Apple has recently made important strides in eliminating toxic chemicals from its products and the reporting of their environmental footprint, it still lags behind others in transparency."
Greenpeace lobbied Apple in 2007 with its ‘Green my Apple' campaign and has since praised the firm for getting rid of environment-damaging PVC and brominated flame retardants in its products.
