Industry experts who attended the recent ITU Green Standards Week have called for a new, globally aligned eco-rating scheme for mobile devices.
The proposed eco-rating scheme would extend across networks, manufacturers, and national boundaries and empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions based on a standardized assessment of a mobile phone?s environmental impact.
Organizations working with ITU?s Standardization Sector on the new scheme include device makers Alcatel-Lucent, Apple, BlackBerry, Fujitsu, Huawei, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung, operators AT&T, Orange, KPN, Telef?nica and Vodafone, and industry partners including the GSMA.
For industry, the new scheme will mark a simplification of the process of gathering and processing eco-efficiency information. For consumers, it will provide an easy-to-understand, credible rating that allows them to choose mobile devices with a lower environmental impact.
Criteria under consideration in the development of the new scheme include carbon footprint; battery life; the use of certain chemicals and rare metals; packaging; and recyclability, among others.
The standard will be developed prioritizing principles such as lifecycle assessment, simplicity, transparency, feasibility and verifiability.
?Consumers are increasingly looking to make sustainable purchasing decisions. A key problem has been a bewildering array of eco-rating schemes. I applaud this initiative that will drive green innovation and allow us all to make informed decisions when we purchase mobile devices,? said Hamadoun Tour?, secretary-general of the ITU.
In the area of e-waste, experts highlighted during the conference a need to improve statistics and coordination. They also encouraged the further implementation of waste-reducing standards such as ITU?s universal charger Recommendation (ITU-T L.1000), which has the potential to save 82,000 tonnes of e-waste per year.
The event also saw Belarusian Andrey Sryvkov awarded first prize in the 3rd Green ICT Application Challenge for his application ?Greenyplay?.
Sryvkov?s $5,000 winning idea uses ?gamification? to encourage recycling with a system of achievements and rewards.
