Environmental Warranty and GreenHeart™ Phone launched by Sony Ericsson

06-Oct-08

Sony Ericsson's environmental warranty, and the concept of Sony Ericsson GreenHeart™ phones, have been launched - initiatives the company is taking to further its commitment to a sustainable future and continually reducing its impact on the environment. The launch of Sony Ericsson's environmental warranty means that now, when any Sony Ericsson product is taken to a designated collection point, Sony Ericsson will recycle this product in an environmentally sound way. This warranty is valid globally, regardless of where the product was originally purchased, as Sony Ericsson strives to show its support for 'individual producer responsibility' (IPR). Launching its own collection points and system means that Sony Ericsson will be able to further strengthen its commitment to taking responsibility for the products it sold to consumers. This new initiative has now been initiated in India, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Singapore USA and Mexico. To date, more than 500 collection points are already in operation. Sony Ericsson intends to complete this rollout by 2009 in all the countries in which it operates. The company's solely-owned collection points will be primarily made available in those countries where the current industry-standard system of phone recycling have been judged to be too limited. Sony Ericsson also plans to develop the way in which it spreads information about this new initiative through its customer help desks and over the internet. The aim is to give consumers easy access to information on their nearest recycling drop off point. The GreenHeart™ is a full concept with all life cycle in mind it includes features such as bio-plastic housings, recycled plastic keypads, zero charger with 3.5mW standby power, HTML based e-manuals, a game style educational application 'Ecomate' and environmentally conscious packaging. This concept has been shared with a few selected partners in the industry, whose response has been extremely positive. Sony Ericsson will therefore take this concept and initiate a two-way conversation with customers on what features they believe should be implemented in future phones and in what priority.