Sony Ericsson Debuts Green Handsets

Exploiting the concept of green technology has worked its way to the top of many companies’ marketing priorities, and Sony Ericsson is no exception: This week the handset maker announced two environmentally friendly mobile phones, including one with a 5-megapixel camera. The two models, part of the company’s GreenHeart environmental program, have a 15 percent reduced CO² footprint and are made with a minimum of 50 percent recycled plastics. Sony Ericsson’s MH300 GreenHeart headset includes 100 percent recycled plastics in most plastic parts, according to the company.

The C901 GreenHeart will include an electronic, in-phone manual to replace the standard paper version, which Sony says results in saving more than 90 percent in paper and reducing the environmental impact of transporting the final product. The handset also comes with a “WalkMate” application, which lets users compare the steps they take with the equivalent journey traveled by car. The C901 also includes a five-megapixel camera with a built-in Xenon flash and face detection technology for group photos.

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The Naite handset will come to market with a low-power charger, the EP300 GreenHeart and includes an “Ecomate” application that helps users make greener choices in life as well as a carbon footprint calculator to show users how much CO² they save when they walk instead of drive. Sony Ericsson says the overall CO² footprint over the full life of the handsets is reduced by 15 percent.

In addition to the trumpeted green features, both handsets offer media players, a Web browser, Google Maps and video calling. The C901 will even come colored with waterborne paint that lowers exposure to VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds). However, the release contained no details regarding if, when and at what price either handset would reach the North American market.

“Building on the established heritage of our parent companies, Sony Ericsson has worked continuously to become an industry leader in the area of removing harmful substances from the core of its phones and in creating industry leading energy efficiency chargers,” said Sony Ericsson president Dick Komiyama. “Today we are announcing … a commitment to roll out these innovations across the broader portfolio in 2010 and 2011.

Nardono Nimpuno, a senior policy advisor for the International Chemical Secretariat, said the GreenHeart project is confirmation of the company’s active engagement in chemical management. “Through the GreenHeart project, with its high ambitions for sustainability and toxic use reduction initiatives, Sony Ericsson is striving for a leadership role in the field of corporate chemicals management,” Nimpuno said.

In May, ABI Research published the results of a survey of more than 1,000 North American consumers that suggested nearly half of those mobile consumers surveyed are somewhat likely or very likely to be influenced by suppliers’ green credentials when purchasing services or devices. It also found younger consumers showed a greater willingness to pursue “eco-groovy” mobile activities than older ones.