Eco scheme rates mobile phones for sustainability

The Eco rating scores handsets out of five according to their environmental impact, how they help people lead more sustainable lives and the ethical performance of the manufacturer.

The scheme is designed to help customers take sustainability into account when choosing a new mobile, to encourage healthy competition between handset manufacturers to drive up standards and to help the 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.

The Eco rating system looks at the overall impact of a device over its lifespan and consists of a product assessment and a corporate assessment. The scheme examines the raw materials the handset contains, the impacts caused by its manufacture, its packaging, its longevity and how easy it is to reuse or recycle.