O2 slaps eco ratings on handsets

Rated: Samsung's GT-S8500, Nokia's 6700, and Sony Ericsson's Elm

Mobile operator O2 is introducing an Eco rating scheme for the phones it sells, enabling buyers to see which handset is the most environmentally friendly before purchasing.

From today, O2 handsets will carry an Eco rating score on the O2 online store, and this will also apply to phones in its retail outlets from Friday.

The Eco rating is being applied to a list of 65 handsets from six vendors initially, and rates them with a score up to 5 reflecting their environmental impact, with a higher score indicating a device that is better for the environment.

The top-rated phone is Sony Ericsson's Elm model with a score of 4.5, and half of the top 10 are also Sony Ericsson models. Scores for all 65 models can be found here.

O2 said the move was part of its strategy to be recognised as a UK leader in sustainability by the end of 2011. The company also claimed it was a response to customer research indicating buyers want to know more about the sustainability of O2 products and services.

"Forty-four per cent of our customer base said this would be a factor in their buying decision, and about 12 per cent said it would be a significant factor," said Gareth Rice, O2's head of environment.

According to O2, the 4.1 billion mobile phones in circulation globally will account for over 100 million tonnes of CO2 over their entire lifecycle, and so anything that cuts down on this is worthwhile.