Samsung and Sprint have teamed up to launch an eco-conscious phone with a biodegradable casing. Although many other phone manufacturers are making efforts to green their phones with various environmentally friendly components or carbon neutral schemes, the Samsung Reclaim is the first one to attempt to reduce its plastic waste.
The outer phone casing is a composite of regular and biodegradable plastic – 80% recyclable material with 40% corn based. The phone also comes in packaging made from 70% recycled materials with soy-based ink. The phone is also free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and “nearly free of brominated flame retardants”.
A good start, but electronic waste remains a serious problem. Greenpeace International estimates that globally more than 20-50 million tons of e-waste is generated each year. Discarded electronics now take up as much space in landfills as plastic packaging. An estimated 140 million cellphones were made in 2007 and only 10% were recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
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