Nokia to launch 40 green phone models in 2008
Each with easily recycled components

May 21 | archive | subscribe

Mobile phones are not biodegradable. They contain small amounts of potentially harmful substances such as cadmium, lithium, among others, in their batteries, which, if not managed properly, can damage the environment.

D Shivakumar, VP and managing director, Nokia India said, "We will be using biodegradable phone covers, recyclable battery designs that use less harmful toxic materials and energy efficient accessories for all our forthcoming phones. Already, we have eliminated the use of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) in all our phones."

In markets like the US, Nokia encloses a pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope in sales packs, providing customers an easy method for returning used products for recycling, at no cost to them.

Elastomers based on biomaterials can be used as rubber-like materials to seal off the battery case. Nokia's Eco Sensor concept is rooting for the phone and detector units that will be optimized for lower energy consumption than phones in 2007 in both the manufacturing process and use. Alternative energy sources, such as solar power, will fuel the sensor unit's power usage.

Nokia is also investing in green bins across all its priority dealer centers, where customers can drop their old phones, and plans to extend this service across all Nokia centers. It had earlier launched its first eco-friendly phone, the 3110, which is claimed to be more around 65 per cent recyclable. "The green phones, which we will launch this year, will be introduced across all price ranges," said Shivakumar.

The company is also aiming to reduce amount of energy consumed by mobile chargers. "We are also hopeful of reducing the no load power consumption — the power wasted when a charger is left in a live power socket — by a further 50 per cent by 2010."