T-Mobile Phone Made From Recycled Water Bottles

moto-w233I might not be able to completely power my iPhone from with solar energy, but I can get an eco-friendly phone. T-Mobile’s new MOTO W233 Renew might initially sound like a lowly $9.95 feature-phone, simply because it is. The phone’s plastic housing however, is made entirely from recycled water bottles, and it’s recyclable again once you move to a new handset. Included with the phone is a pre-paid envelope to send it in for device-reincarnation to another plastic life-form. Even the packaging is made from 100% recycled materials.

How’s the phone, you ask? Hey, what do you want for $10? ;) It actually doesn’t look bad for a simple phone. It includes a microSD card slot and a music player, and of course it supports MyFaves. For basic phone use, it should do nicely, with over 18 days of standby, or nine hours of talk time.  You might want to keep conversations under that though: nine hours is a lot of carbon dioxide. Full press release follows.

MOTO™ W233 Renew Now Available From T-Mobile USA

Exclusive to T-Mobile Customers, the Renew is the World’s First Mobile Phone Made Using Plastics Comprised of Recycled Water Bottles

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Feb. 4, 2009 — T-Mobile USA, Inc., and Motorola, today announced the retail availability of the MOTO W233 Renew, the ideal mobile phone for eco-conscious consumers. A first of its kind, and initially exclusive to only T-Mobile® customers, the plastic phone housing for the Renew is comprised of recycled water bottles and is entirely recyclable.

The Renew, available for $9.99 with a two-year service agreement, is an affordable option for T-Mobile customers committed to making a difference and reducing their carbon footprint.  Through an alliance with Carbonfund.org™, Motorola offsets the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation, making it the first carbon-neutral mobile phone.

To save time — and energy — the Renew delivers a superior battery life experience with up to nine hours of talk time. In addition, the phone packaging and included in-box materials are printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. Also included in the box is a prepaid shipping envelope for customers to use to recycle their old device.

“We know that many of our customers are concerned about the environmental impact of the products they choose, and we share that concern,” said Glenn Zaccara, senior manager of corporate responsibility, T-Mobile USA. “T-Mobile is working to find ways to make it easier for our customers to limit their impact on the environment, and our partnership with Motorola to exclusively offer the Renew is a positive step along this journey.”

“We are excited to offer T-Mobile customers the first opportunity to purchase a mobile phone that takes the environment into account – from the product’s design using recycled plastics, to reducing the packaging material by 22 percent, as well as our partnership with Carbonfund.org,” said Jeff Miller, vice president, sales, Motorola Mobile Devices. “Priced affordably, Renew makes it easy for consumers to think about their impact on the environment when purchasing a mobile phone.”

In addition to Renew, T-Mobile also offers customers the option to sign up for paperless billing. In 2008, T-Mobile partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees for customers who signed up for this option and, to date, has planted more than 500,000 trees. T-Mobile also provides easy recycling options for all wireless users via its Handset Recycling Program. Handsets, wireless PDAs, wireless computer cards and wireless accessories can be dropped off at any T-Mobile retail store or can be mailed using a prepaid label that can be printed from T-Mobile’s Web site at http://www.t-mobile.com/handsetrecycling.

One hundred percent of net proceeds from T-Mobile’s Handset Recycling program are used to support the company’s social investments through its T-Mobile Huddle Up program. For more information, visit http://www.t-mobile.com/huddleup.

Motorola also accepts any mobile phone or accessory for recycling, which helps recover valuable materials for reuse and reduces environmental impact. Simply print a postage-paid label at http://www.motorola.com/recycle to return older products to Motorola. A portion of the proceeds generated from returned mobile phones is distributed to schools participating in Motorola’s Race to Recycle program. To learn more visit http://www.racetorecycle.com. Motorola’s recycling program is part of the company’s overarching commitment to sustainability.

The MOTO W233 Renew is available today at select T-Mobile retail stores and online at
http://www.t-mobile.com.

loading

Comments have been disabled for this post