In 2022, sustainability is a global trend. Sustainable development is a concept according to which the satisfaction of the modern society’s needs doesn't harm future generations, but finds an ecological, economical, and social balance between them (read our article on ESG to find out more on that topic). Today we will tell you how the principles of sustainable development are applied in the mobile industry.
Global sustainable development course
The course to sustainability affects both everyday life and business. The mobile business is no exception. Going along with the trend, on the 25th of May 2021, the 5 European mobile operators (Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, Telia Company, and Vodafone) launched a mobile Eco-Rating scheme aimed to help customers to identify the most eco-friendly devices to make their purchases more consciously and rationally, while manufacturers reduce the environmental impact of their activities.
What is the mobile phone Eco-Rating scheme?
Eco-Rating scheme is a scale that evaluates the environmental impact of phone manufacturing and usage (for example, carbon footprint or resource drain) and its material quality criteria.
After the evaluation on the Eco Rating scale, each mobile gadget gets a score from 1 to 100, depending on the amount of its environmental impact during the whole life cycle. The bigger the mark, the better the sustainability rating, the lower the harmful effect.
The Eco-Rating Methodology
The Eco-Rating scale ranks mobile phones according to the 5 ecologically important criteria:
- Durability
- Repairability
- Recyclability
- Climate efficiency
- Resource efficiency
The maximum possible mark (100/100) is very difficult for manufacturers to obtain. However the rating scheme is not about getting a high or low score, but about drawing people's attention to the ecological situation as a whole. If consumers make informed device choices, manufacturers will have to reduce the environmental impact of their production in order to remain competitive.
We have already written that today the mobile industry is among the most dangerous and harmful to nature. A shared commitment to sustainability unites the industry on a path to a shared better future.
Extended eco-friendly union
3 November 2021 the Eco Rating scheme founders expanded their initiative by inviting other operators around the world to join the project. The renewed Eco Rating union became global, not just European.
At the moment, the project is supported by the following mobile industry players:
“We look forward to welcoming more manufacturers and telecom operators to the Eco Rating initiative in the future, and we hope it will inspire the whole industry to accelerate its transition towards a more circular model for mobile phones.” - say the founders.
We totally support the initiative and encourage all our partners and clients to join such environmentally and economically important projects. If used devices were included in the mobile eco-friendly scheme, they would be at the top of the rating right away, above any new phone.
With the help of NSYS solutions, you can scale your used device business, thereby expanding the eco-friendly secondary market as well as making good profits by following the global trend.
Together we can build a sustainable future today!
