The greening of Sprint
Quite the high-class to-do, this morning. Officials from Sprint, Samsung and the Nature Conservancy were in attendance at The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in NYC for the public unveiling of Sprint’s “Corporate Social Responsibility Priorities” and the announcement of their new Reclaim cell phone.
Sprint Nextel wants you to know that they “view corporate social responsibility as a long-term, strategic approach to balancing business opportunities with social, economic and environmental responsibilities”.
• Sprint is the first U.S. wireless carrier to establish a set of environmental design criteria for future devices and accessories.
• Sprint is implementing a series of new environmentally-responsible retail initiatives including adding a dedicated display area in stores that highlights Sprint’s commitment to eco-friendly products and accessories.
• Sprint is committing to reduce paper usage by 30 percent during the next five years. They were recently ranked highest in corporate environmental and sustainability reporting among all U.S. telecommunications carriers.
They’re really serious. Breakfast was served on recyclable bamboo plates along with wooden utensils. Even the handout “thumb drive” with press releases was covered in some sort of wood-like substance.
That said, Sprint also wants you to know about their first “green” cell phone, the Reclaim (M560), made for them by Samsung. It’s a good looking handset with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, microSD (up to 32GB) memory card slot, stereo Bluetooth, a 2 MP camera and navigation software.
It comes in two colors: Earth Green or Ocean Blue and will sell for a few pennies under $50 (with a two-year contract).
So, what makes the handset green?
• Bio-plastic material, made from corn makes up 40 percent of the Reclaim’s outer casing. Samsung Reclaim is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR): three materials commonly targeted on green electronics guidelines.
• The outer packaging and the phone tray inside the box are made from 70 percent recycled materials. The images and text on the box as well as the phone warranty information are printed with soy-based ink.
• The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced with a virtual manual that users can access online.
• The charger is Energy Star approved and is equipped with a visible notification to alert the user when to unplug the handset once it’s fully charged.
The Reclaim will be available in Sprint stores beginning Aug. 15th.