Environmental Leader

In addition to setting environmental criteria for all future devices and accessories, Sprint is adding a special section to its retail stores that will highlight “green” products and services.

“When customers walk into a Sprint retail store, they will be greeted by the information they need to make earth-friendly wireless choices,” said CEO Dan Hesse. The retail store sections will offer carrying cases made of recycled materials.

Additionally, Sprint is implementing a sustainable design blueprint for all future retail stores and refurbishments.

The move coincides with the launch of a new eco-friendly cell phone, the Reclaim phone from Samsung, which is made of 80 percent recyclable materials. For every Reclaim sold by Sprint, $2 of the proceeds will go toward the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre program, according to a press release.

The Reclaim’s bio-plastic outer casing is made of 40 percent corn-derived materials. The phone is free of polyvinyl chloride, phthalates,and the amount of brominated flame retardants has been minimized. Lately, Greenpeace has been targeting electronics manufacturers to cease using these chemicals.

As for the phone’s packaging, the outer portion and phone tray are made of 70 percent recycled materials, and the company is foregoing the sort of thick owner’s manuals that normally accompany such phones, instead offering an online manual. Additionally, the charger is Energy Star approved, consuming 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption.

To help purchasers of the Reclaim phone perpetuate their “green” lifestyles, the phone features a One Click tile that opens several environmentally oriented applications, such as:

• Five Simple Steps from Discovery Channel, which gives users ideas on how to be more eco-friendly.
• Green Guides from Discovery Channel.
• Green Glossary from Discovery Channel.
• All Things Green, a Sprint Web feature that offers environmentally oriented headlines and links to downloadable content.

In other sustainability news at Sprint, the company has committed to reduce its paper usage 30 percent over the next five years.