Samsung produces bioplastic mobile phones

By SmartPlanet on 17 June 2008, 12:18pm

Yesterday, Samsung showed its greener side as it unveiled two new, environmentally friendly cell phones at the World IT Show in Seoul, Korea. The Samsung W510 is the company's first mobile to be made of bioplastic, which is produced with natural material extracted from corn. In addition, the W510 uses a water-soluble coating and no heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, were used in the production of the mobile phone.

The second handset, the Samsung F268, is made from the same material but it also has the benefit of not containing any BFRs (brominated flame retardants) or PVC, as is the case with its accessories. The F268 is compliant with the Energy Star requirements (energy-efficiency guidelines set by US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy) and comes equipped with an alarm to alert you when the battery is full and encourages you to unplug the charger afterwards.

While the W510 will ship in Korea and the F268 in China this month, it's not clear whether both or either of the mobile phones will be sold in the UK. The good news is that Samsung is making a global effort to lessen its impact on the environment by launching more environmentally conscious products with more renewable materials and less energy consumption, and is setting up a mobile phone recycling programme.

Samsung isn't alone here -- Nokia has been very active in that field as well. Nokia has also already come out with the Evolve 3110, which is partially made from bio materials.