Motorola launches eco-friendly mobile phone

The Moto W233 Renew will initially be available to US T-Mobile customers

Motorola has unveiled a new eco-friendly mobile phone, which it claims is carbon neutral and made out of recycled materials.

The Moto W233 Renew is manufactured using plastic from recycled water bottles.

Additionally, an alliance with the non-profit Carbonfund.org will ensure that the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone is offset through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation. Current Carbonfund.org technology partners include Virgin and Dell.

"From the product's design to the packaging and our partnership with Carbonfund.org, we wanted to ensure that this device makes the right impact with consumers and the environment," said Jeremy Dale, global marketing vice president at Motorola Mobile.

Motorola said that all the packaging used to deliver the mobile, and all the materials inside, will have been recycled. A postage-paid envelope will allow users to return their old mobile phone for recycling at no cost.

The Moto W233 Renew offers a claimed nine hours of talk time, and will initially be available to US customers on T-Mobile tariffs.

Motorola is also due to launch a new smartphone this week with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. The Motosurf A3100 includes a customisable home screen that can be personalised to provide live feeds.

"We developed the Motosurf A3100 as a true social smartphone," said John Cipolla, senior vice president of product development at Motorola Mobile.

"Homescreen personalisation and access to a whole host of applications gets the info you want fast and at your fingertips."