Sony Ericsson Naite and GreenHeart phones focus on the environment

Posted on Thursday, June 04 2009 @ 14:53 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
These days it's popular to launch green products, and Sony Ericsson just launched two cell phones that should be friendlier to the environment than other phones. The new Naite and C901 GreenHeart lack a paper manual to cut paper usage, they come in smaller packages, and use at least 50 percent recycled plastics. Sony Ericsson claims the carbon dioxide footprint of these phones has been reduced by 15 percent.
Sony Ericsson today unveiled two new GreenHeart™ pioneer products underpinning its ongoing commitment to taking a lead on environmental sustainability by driving green innovation that doesn’t compromise on product design and functionality. The GreenHeart™ programme launches with two flagship products – the C901 GreenHeart™ and Naite– plus the MH300 GreenHeart ™ headset, one of the greenest headsets on the market. The GreenHeart™ concept is a key pillar in Sony Ericsson’s revitalised product portfolio strategy and the sustainable innovations found in the GreenHeart™ pioneer products will eventually roll out into the broader portfolio.

Both new GreenHeart™ phones build on Sony Ericsson’s industry leading ‘green core’, the result of a long standing commitment to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals from the product design and manufacturing process.

The first flagship product to be launched, the C901 GreenHeart™, will include an electronic, in-phone manual to replace the standard paper version, saving over 90% in paper and reducing the environmental impact of transporting the final product through more compact packaging. The C901 GreenHeart™ phone casing is made from a minimum of 50% recycled plastics and includes an optimised display light sensor that uses less energy. The phone is coloured with waterborne paint that lowers exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).

The C901 GreenHeart™ will ship with the MH300 GreenHeart ™ headset, one of the greenest headsets available, made up of 100% recycled plastics in 4 out of 5 hard plastic parts and far exceeding legal environmental requirements.

As well as featuring many of the innovations showcased in the C901 GreenHeart™, Naitewill come to market with a low-power charger, the EP300 GreenHeart™ charger, one of the first of its kind to be introduced to the market. Thanks to these innovations, the overall CO² footprint over the full life of the C901 GreenHeart™ and Naite is reduced by 15%.

The first GreenHeart™ pioneer phone, the C901 GreenHeart™ will also include a WalkMate application, letting users really walk the talk about being more eco-friendly by comparing the steps they take with the equivalent journey travelled by car. And Naite includes an Ecomate application helping users make greener choices in their everyday life as well as a Carbon Footprint Calculator to show you how much CO2 you are saving when you walk instead of taking the car.

“Building on the established heritage of our parent companies, Sony Ericsson has worked continuously to become an industry leader in the area of removing harmful substances from the core of its phones and in creating industry leading energy efficiency chargers,” said Dick Komiyama, President, Sony Ericsson. “Today we are announcing the next step in our sustainability strategy – the GreenHeart™ pioneer products - which launch with two innovative new phones and a commitment to roll out these innovations across the broader portfolio in 2010 and 2011, allowing us to build a more sustainable business.”

Sony Ericsson will use the product innovations in its new GreenHeart™ pioneer products to ‘green’ its full product portfolio going forward with the aim of setting a new benchmark in sustainability for the entire mobile phone industry. The GreenHeart™ handsets will play a key role in Sony Ericsson’s newly invigorated product portfolio strategy.

For more information on the GreenHeart™ programme and Sony Ericsson’s overall sustainability commitment, please join us for a global web cast and Q&A at 13:00 (UK time) on Thursday 4th June. www.sonyericsson.com/greenheart

“We are fully supportive of Sony Ericsson’s GreenHeart™ initiative because it is so closely aligned with Telefonica O2 UK’s own ambitions to make Sustainability central to our business strategy ", says Bill Eyres, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Environment and Sustainability at Telefonica O2 UK. "We know from consumer insight that environmental issues, particularly climate change, are now a significant concern for our customers. Furthermore, we also believe that operating more sustainably is a business opportunity, enabling us to function more efficiently and keep the Customer at the heart of all we do. "

“With growing public concern about climate change and increased competition for natural resources, TeliaSonera welcomes more “green” and sustainable choices for our customers like the new GreenHeart phones from Sony Ericsson", says Indra Åsander, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Management in Mobility Services at TeliaSonera. "Over the past two years we have seen an increase in “green-behaviour-change” among our customers, such as using more communication services to reduce travel and the resulting CO2 footprint. We believe this new initiative to move green behaviour into the mobile manufacturing process is one key step forward for the industry in responding to consumer demand".

Nardono Nimpuno, Senior Policy Advisor, International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) added, “The GreenHeart™ project is confirmation of Sony Ericsson’s active engagement in the Chemsec Business Group and their extensive internal work on chemical management. Through the GreenHeart™ project, with its high ambitions for sustainability and toxic use reduction initiatives, Sony Ericsson is striving for a leadership role in the field of corporate chemicals management.”

Q3 2009 will also see the continued roll out of Sony Ericsson’s global take-back programme which has been in operation since 2007. By allowing consumers to send back used mobile phones, the programme ensures that they do not end up in landfills but are sent to specialised mobile phone recycling centres. This means that both components and materials are used again, reducing the need to extract and refine raw materials for new products.

C901 GreenHeart™
Smile – you’re on camera
* Snap great shots with the five megapixel camera
* Put some light on the situation with the built-in Xenon flash
* Catch the perfect smile with Smile Shutter™
* Instantly post your pictures to the web with one-click uploading
* Face Detection lets you take fantastic group shots
* Recycled plastics, more eco-friendly packaging and energy efficient display

The C901 GreenHeart™ supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSPA 900/2100. The C901 GreenHeart™ will be available in selected markets from Q2.

Naite
Organize your life the eco-friendly way
* One click access to favourite functions
* Stay in touch with email and texting
* Active desktop for at-a-glance information
* Talk face to face with video calling
* Recycled plastics, more eco-friendly packaging and low power consumption charger

Naite supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100. Naite will be available in selected markets from Q3.
Sony Ericsson Naite (left) and C901 GreenHeart (right). The full specifications of each phone can be viewed over here.



About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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