Moved Permanently

There are 155 billion elderly mobiles hiding in cupboards across the world, but manufacturers are trying to shake off their eco-unfriendly image with a new breed of phone.

The latest contender for the pockets of eco-worriers is Motorola’s W233 Renew, which was unveiled in the U.S at the beginning of the year. The Renew is very green: it advertises its environmental credentials on its sleeve with a casing made from recycled plastic bottles, itself 100% recyclable, and coloured a lurid shade of green. Motorola has also promised to offset all the carbon dioxide produced in the manufacturing process with its partner Carbonfund.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Renew though is its extra long battery life, giving 9 hours of talktime, which was designed with limiting electricity use in mind. The charger also uses 20% less energy than a standard one. Minimal packaging and the addition of an envelope for recycling your old phone are token nods to sustainability, but otherwise the phone is basic at best, with no camera or Bluetooth.

Maria Martini, senior lecturer in wireless and mobile communications at Kingston University, revealed that mobile phones and other ICT technology account for 6% of the world’s total energy consumption.

She said: “The most important feature of this phone by far is the long battery life. A lot of research is being done into how to reduce energy consumption and the technology is advancing very rapidly.

“There has been a lot of concern across Europe and the world about how we can solve this problem, not just from individuals but from governments, so there’s a good market for products like the Motorola Renew.”

The phone’s eco-cred is top notch then, but it may be that our insatiable desire for new technology is as harmful as the by-products produced in the manufacturing process. These include toxic metals like lead, nickel, mercury and cadmium, the seventh most dangerous substance known to man. Perhaps, whilst admiring companies’ efforts to produce sustainable technology, we should try harder to hang on to our old phones for as long as possible rather than clamouring for new ones.

A spokesman for Motorola was unable to confirm if or when the Renew will be released in the UK, but after impressing us with various prototypes European manufacturers like Nokia should feel the pressure to follow suit and start selling the real deal soon.