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Vodafone Starts Publishing Environmental Credentials for Mobile Phone Handsets
Published on:
Vodafone New Zealand is to start publishing an "eco-rating" for each of the handsets sold by its retailers. Using information directly from handset manufacturers, scores range from one to five, where five is the most sustainable.
Each phone's rating includes an assessment of environmental impacts -- such as carbon emissions and how much water is used in manufacturing -- and ethical factors, such as labour policies and health and safety practices for people assembling the phones.
Handset manufacturers answer over 200 questions about the environmental and ethical impact of each mobile phone, divided into three areas.
- Green design: tells consumers if the mobile phone contains special features to improve its environmental performance. Scores are higher for mobiles that have special energy saving modes and smart charging systems, or handsets made with recycled plastics and metals.
- Mobile phone lifecycle: gives the environmental impact of each mobile phone throughout its lifetime, from the extraction of raw materials that make the phone, to production, transport, use and disposal. Scores are higher for mobiles that have a smaller impact on the environment.
- Company performance: shows the manufacturer's commitment to managing environmental and ethical issues in their operations and in their supply chain. Questions focus on the company's management standards, policies and procedures - and points are awarded for practices that go beyond legal requirements and Vodafone's ethical standards for suppliers.
Eco Rating scores are calculated by independent experts Bureau Veritas and SKM Enviros and the scoring methodology is assured by KPMG.
Tags: [vodafone] [New Zealand]
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