Consumer Electronics
Consumer Electronics Eco-Centric Mobile Phone The North American telephone company Sprint Nextel, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, USA is making it easier than ever for customers to ‘go green‘ with new eco-friendly products, services and programs and expanding its commitment as a leader in sustainability. Last August, Sprint and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) announced Samsung Reclaim as the first phone in the U.S. constructed from eco-centric bio-plastic materials. Made from 80 % recyclable materials, Samsung Reclaim is a feature-rich messaging phone that offers environmentally conscious customers a perfect blend of responsibility without sacrificing the latest in network speeds and must-have features. When customers purchase Samsung Reclaim from Sprint, of the proceeds will benefit the Nature Conservancy‘s Adopt an Acre program, which supports land conservation across the United States and protects some of the world‘s most beautiful and important natural habitats. “Sprint is proud of our leadership with environmentally-responsible initiatives,“ said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO, “and Samsung Reclaim enables customers to go green without sacrificing the latest in wireless technology.“ Up 40 % of the Reclaim’s outer casing is made of a blend of PLA (40%), a bioplastic material, made from renewable resources (corn) and Polycarbonate (60%). This material is mostly used on the rear side and battery cover of the device. Samsung Reclaim is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR) three materials commonly targeted on green electronics guidelines. The outer packaging and the phone tray inside the box are made from 70 % recycled materials, printed with soy-based ink. The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced with a virtual manual that users can access online. The Energy Star approved charger. It consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption. ”Samsung Reclaim is more than just an eco-centric device, its also a powerful and stylish phone that’s easy-to-use,” said Omar Khan, senior vice president of Strategy and Product Management for Samsung Mobile. “When you combine the Reclaim’s impressive feature set with its bio-plastic hardware and eco-centric packaging, you’re using a phone that is good for you and the environment.” Reclaim has been available from August 16, 2009 in all Sprint retail channels, including Best Buy, Radio Shack, internet and telesales. It‘s also available at Wal- Mart since early September. Reclaim is Samsung’s latest contribution toward its commitment to the environment. Samsung Electronics Co. was recently named as the second highest rated company in Greenpeace International’s Guide to Greener Electronics scorecard. MT www.sprint.com www.samsungmobileusa.com www.samsung.com 26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/09] Vol. 4
Consumer Electronics (Photo: Philips) New ‘Eco.‘ Cordless Telephone Vacuum Cleaner Housing The latest innovation for Ingeo bioplastic is Telecom Italia’s environmentally friendly ‘Eco.‘ cordless telephone. NatureWorks PLA material forms the exterior shell of the new cordless which matches high technical performance with sustainability and energy savings. Eco.’s advanced features include backlight display, handsfree, an integrated backlight keypad and polyphonic ringtones. This cordless is also projected to minimize energy consumption. Telecom Italia’s Eco. cordless has been designed and made real with the cooperation of Telecom Italia Lab, the University of Palermo and the MID design studio. In addition to providing certified environmental credentials, Ingeo provides a naturebased innovation which enhances the Eco.’s performance and aesthetics. This initiative can be marked among those that will surely improve energy efficiency. As an example, NatureWorks notes that for 30.000 cordless units, the savings which result from replacing conventional oil based material with Ingeo bioplastic, are equivalent to 36 barrels of oil, a full month of electrical energy for 108 European citizens or driving the average car 75.000 km. In addition to its low carbon footprint benefits, Ingeo biopolymer offers more disposal options than conventional oil-based plastics, such as composting in controlled industrial systems when available locally, feedstock recovery which enables reuse in all end products and markets as well as matching conventional incineration or landfill routes where they are appropriate. MT In early 2009 the Dutch company Philips started to use a durable PLA-based polymer for the housing of the Performer EnergyCare FC9178 vacuum cleaner. And even the packaging consists of about 90% recycled material. Durable bioplastics applications in Europe became possible with a specially developed ’Nanoalloy’ technology from the Japanese Toray Industries. “Conventional PLA-based polymers were not suitable for the manufacturing process because of their physical properties and mouldability,“ said a spokesperson from Toray Industries. Toray were able to solve the challenge with ‘Ecodear’, a specially developed bioplastic material. Thus it was possible to meet the technical demands of the application - namely heat resistance, impact strength, durability, mouldabilty and shrinkage factors equivalent to the standard materials which are currently used in the market. Finally this led to the first adoption in a consumer electronics application in Europe. With this new generation of bio durable bioplastics Toray has taken an important step into the future for the next generation of developments for environmentally friendly products. MT www.toray.com www.natureworksllc.com, www.telecomitalia.it bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/09] Vol. 4 27
