Use – design, manufacture, customers and take-back

Manufacturers continuously pay attention to the material content in phones and are working to phase out materials of concern. New phones are also becoming more energy efficient, for example, power cells currently in use require fewer resources during manufacture, and avoid the use of toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium. This makes the batteries much safer during the recycling and disposal processes. Designing a phone for easy dismantling would reduce the cost of refurbishment and recycling.

Consumer expectation drives the continuous redesign of mobile phones. However, while the list of functions grows, the actual product size decreases. This produces environmental benefits through reductions in natural resources used during manufacture, and the substitution of one device for many.

Each mobile phone is the result of a process where environmental aspects always have a role. Design for Environment (DfE) means integrating environmental considerations systematically into the development of all products, processes and services. Nokia`s DfE is firmly based on life-cycle thinking. It aims to satisfy the requirements of consumers and other stakeholders in a way that has less environmental impact. DfE involves design procedures that minimize material and energy consumption while maximizing the possibility for reuse and recycling.

Industry has also worked to reduce power consumption and losses during the charging period. Many manufacturers have signed up to the European Commission code of practice on energy efficiency of external power supplies and have committed to no-load power consumption of less than 0.3 W. Consumers can make a further contribution by simply switching off and unplugging the charger when it is not needed.

Consumers can also make a big difference by returning their phone to a recognised take-back scheme. The average useful life of a mobile handset is around seven years but users in developed countries replace their phones about every 18 months driven by both the evolution of technology and the tendency of consumers to want a device with more applications. In the UK alone, the industry estimates that around 15 million handsets go out of use each year. Phones have a design life time that is much longer than 18 months and can be used by someone else, if donated quickly rather than stored. A phone should never be thrown away with unsorted household waste but always given to a recognised take-back scheme. Consumers should transfer their memories to their new phone and erase personal data before returning their phone (see the phone manual for details on how to do this).

The industry supports handset, battery and accessory take-back in more than 85 countries. (see the map on our Partnerships webpage). In most cases take-back schemes were established as voluntary initiatives, with self-sustaining financial structures. With some, a proportion of the revenues earned by take-back schemes are reinvested in environmental and charitable initiatives. When the returned phones are in good condition or economic repair is possible, the returned phones may find a second or even third happy user.

In discussions on used phones, the cultural preferences for keeping, passing on or returning used mobile phones have to be considered when trying to develop practical and feasible take-back schemes. In this regard incentives such as donations to charity, extra call minutes for the customer or a discount on a different phone can increase return rates. Consumer awareness and convenience are also key success factors.