Motorola launches eco-friendly mobile phone

by Alessio Sciurpa

Motorola has unveiled a new eco-friendly mobile phone, The Moto W233 Renew, which it claims is carbon neutral and made out of recycled materials.

Not only is the plastic housing of Renew made from plastics comprised of recycled water bottles and 100 percent recyclable, but it is also the world’s first carbon neutral phone.Through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, Motorola offsets the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation. The phone has earned Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree® Product Certification after an extensive product life-cycle assessment.

When designing the packaging, Motorola was able to reduce its size by 22 percent and the box and all of the materials inside are printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. In addition, a postage-paid recycling envelope in box makes it easy to return your previous mobile phone for recycling at no cost. Although there goes never tire recall that the best waste, including electronic, is that there is not, then the mobile phone market more environmentally friendly on the market, is that you are using, whether it is still working.

Two things to denote:
- first of all, if the example were taken from other producers, the segment of so-called "eco-friendly mobile phone" would open a new slice of the market in communication, as operators and manufacturers of mobile phones among the largest advertisers in the world;

- second, that this first model intended by the manufacturer is quite essential in the technological content, which could attract only a niche of consumers, but if the experiment works, the competition could develop arguments and features on green (low environmental impact, reduced packaging, accessories produced with the same philosophy and green interactive) and not only on the technical characteristics that will surely implemented to embrace a more diverse and extensive public.

The Moto W233 Renew will initially be available to US customers.