ABI Research has released a new study on the environmentally friendly practices in the mobile handset industry. Entitled, “Mobile Handset Green Initiatives”, the research brief explores the issues surrounding the manufacture and recycling of “green” mobile handsets.
According to the report, mobile handset manufacturers are under pressure to create a “greener” manufacturing process and to reduce the environmental footprint of their products by making them biodegradable and recyclable.
Mobile handset vendors are increasingly aware of their responsibilities, says the report, and the majority of them have implemented recycling programs. However, ABI analysts point out that less than 5 percent of the annual worldwide volume of handsets shipped come back through recycling or ethical disposal programs.
The added costs of going green are too much to handle for most vendors, says ABI’s study. Although the volume of mobile phones being produced and discarded each year is higher than ever before, most vendors still find that adding an entire green product line is not economically viable for them. To achieve financially profitable and environmentally friendly phones, providers need a large manufacturing scale that is not yet achieved by many vendors, the report warns.
"Several proof products that epitomize a vendor's best greening efforts are currently being marketed," points out ABI Research (News - Alert) director Kevin Burden. "But, our research found that very few handset manufacturers - except those with the scale to do it economically, such as Samsung (News - Alert) and Nokia - are highly motivated to produce lines of green phones. Instead, the effort is towards compliance and the trickling down of proven green elements throughout entire product lines."
Governmental regulations and corporate responsibility mandates have forced compliance from vendors in some processes, for example in stopping the use of legally banned substances.
Some manufacturers are also undertaking voluntary initiatives leading to more eco-friendly handset models and programs. The report has also concluded that substances known to threaten human health and the environment are being phased out voluntarily by many manufacturers.
A 2008 Nokia (News - Alert) survey had indicated that 76 percent of their respondents are more likely to buy phones from companies they consider environmentally responsible. However, Burden believes that it is difficult for vendors to quantify potential economic benefits from going green.
Burden concludes, “As vendors move green features toward a platform approach for broader implementation, that is when negative economic factors flatten and the environment truly wins."
It concludes with a summary of the latest regulatory requirements such as Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations as well as other factors affecting this market.
Nitya Prashant is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Nitya's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Michelle Robart
