Cell phone makers are going green. They are teaming with UL Environment and Green Electronics Council (GEC) to certify their phones.
To win such certification, the phones have to pass certain tests that involve packaging, materials and energy use. They must also have an end-of-life strategy that allows for their sustainable disposal or their re-use. Manufacturing and operations as well as corporate practices will also be taken into account. Those that are able to meet this criteria will be able to feature this certification in their marketing campaigns.
“The UL 110 standard will be published as an (American National Standards Institute) standard on March 24, 2017,” says a release. “A new mobile-phone category on the EPEAT Registry, based on the new UL 110 standard, is anticipated to be available to purchasers on 1 July.”
The release goes on to say that several brands are already involved in the process and that all are expressing an interest.
“There is significant pent-up purchaser demand for sustainable mobile phones,” said Nancy Gillis, CEO of the Green Electronics Council, in a statement. “We are eager to feature mobile phones that meet the UL/ECOLOGO joint certification on the EPEAT Registry so institutional purchasers can continue to leverage their buying power to meet their organizations’ sustainability goals.”
“UL is excited that UL ECOLOGO/EPEAT Joint Certification meets the demand of manufacturers, purchasers and consumers to evaluate the health and sustainability of mobile phones,” added Alberto Uggetti, vice president and general manager, UL Environment. “UL 110, soon to be released as an ANSI standard, sets the criteria for the EPEAT mobile phone category and provides government and corporate purchasers a credible source for identifying and buying sustainable mobile phones.”
UL Environment started the certification process in 2013, it says, two years after a widely adopted draft standard debuted to establish lifecycle criteria for mobile phones.
