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Sprint Introduces Most Feature-Rich, Eco-Friendly Phone Yet

2009-08-06T12:49:44Z

This morning Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced the August 16th release of the Samsung Reclaim™. Speaking with the media from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City where the Nature Conservancy’s Design for a Living World exhibit is on display, Hesse introduced the new device – a messaging phone that offers environmentally conscious consumers a perfect blend of responsibility without sacrificing speed, style or must-have features.

With a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, One Click access to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube, Sprint Navigation, 2 megapixel camera/camcorder, and more all at a rockin’ price of $49.99 after rebates and with a two-year service agreement, this is a great phone. Add the Reclaim’s green attributes, and what you’ve got is the most feature-rich, eco-friendly phone available in the U.S.

The Reclaim is constructed from bio-plastic material (40 percent of the Reclaim’s outer casing is derived from corn). It’s RoHS compliant and free of potentially hazardous materials like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR). It comes with an ENERGY STAR-approved charger that uses 12 times less power than the standard for standby power consumption. The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced by a virtual user manual. The packaging is 100% recyclable material, made with a high percentage of post-consumer waste content, and printed using soy inks. And, $2 from every Reclaim purchased from Sprint through the end of this year will benefit the Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program in the U.S.

While introducing the Reclaim marks another significant step on Sprint’s path toward sustainability, it also represents a change in the way we’re doing business. Sustainability is frequently quoted as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Today Sprint committed to just such a concept, becoming the first U.S. wireless carrier to establish a set of environmental design criteria for future devices and accessories. We will work with our suppliers to design and provide products that:

Reduce the use of potentially hazardous materials,
Are energy efficient,
Include standardized audio and charging interfaces,
Are more recyclable, and
Have more sustainable packaging including standardized sizes, reduced weight, increased recyclability rate, and increased recycled content.

We’ll also work with our suppliers to measure and report on the environmental impact of their manufacturing processes. Combine this focus on more sustainable product development with our leading position on wireless reuse and recycling, and a new vision begins to take form – one that begins to address the full lifecycle of our products and their relationship with the environment.

It feels great to share this with you, to see the direction in which the company is heading and to feel the momentum that we’re gaining every day. I’d like to know your take on this news, though. What do you think? Is the Reclaim for you? Are we on the right track? What steps would you like to see Sprint take next? Look forward to reading your comments.

Darren Beck
Manager, Resource Stewardship
Sprint Corp Social Responsibility
Twitter @DarrenBeck

Brits More Into Phone Recycling than U.S.?

2009-06-03T19:33:05Z

Seems that the Brits' interest in recycling phones is increasing much faster than the Yanks'. A recent analysis by Hitwise, an internet traffic monitor, showed that U.K. internet searches for mobile phone recycling almost tripled over the last year. Search terms - such as "recycle mobile phones", "mobile phone recycling" and "phone recycling" - increased by 189% between the week ending 5/17/08 and the week ending 5/16/09.

Despite the proliferation of organizations in the U.S. that are ready to accept your old cell phone for recycling, action and interest among U.S. wireless consumers remains low. According to the EPA, only 10% of retired cell phones in the U.S. are being recycled. And whether it's due to lack of awareness or apathy, interest in the U.S. has yet to take off.

In a comparative analysis of internet searches for mobile phone recycling terms conducted by Google, U.S. interest pales in contrast to that of Great Britain. Based on an index of 100 in January 2006, Great Britain has experienced the following year-over-year increases in queries: 241% - 2007-2006, 134% - 2008-2007, 163% - 2009 YTD. In comparison, year-over-year growth in the number of U.S. queries has been relatively flat: 71% - 2007-2006, 34% - 2008-2007, -9% - 2009 YTD.

So where does that leave us? Hopefully, inspired. The message is catching on. Phone recycling is gaining traction in the U.K. Phone recycling rates in Japan are already at twice the level of the U.S. These countries are demonstrating what's possible. We can increase interest and inspire action, as well. It all starts with a simple premise... getting the word out.

Sprint's made that even easier. We recently produced a brief video with Outpost Worldwide. This PSA entitled, "Wireless Recycling Video", can be viewed online. In under two minutes it frames the issue, illustrates how phones can reused and recycled, and shows how easy it is to take action. It can be found at http://www.sprint.com/recycle. Forwarding a link of this video to friends and family and encouraging them to do the same would be a great way to help raise awareness. Nearly everyone has one or more unused cell phones sitting around. With your help we can get the word out and increase recycling several fold right here in the good ol' US of A.

Darren Beck

Sprint Corp Social Responsibility

Follow me on Twitter @DarrenBeck

Taking a Page from Sprint's Playbook

2009-03-03T04:25:30Z

Looks like AT&T may soon be taking a page from Sprint's playbook. According to the Boy Genius Report, it's rumored that AT&T is looking to launch a “Phone Trade-In” program for subscribers.

While the following has yet to be confirmed, Engadget nets it out this way: "any phone traded in must be less than two years old and in relatively good shape, and the new phone you're after won't have any subsidies attached; your trade-in value is the discount. Oh, and regardless of how awesome that shiny new whatever is, the maximum value of any trade is capped at $200."

It's worthy to note that Sprint Nextel has been rewarding customers with a "buy back" option since 2001. Here are some key advantages that Sprint customers receive through the Sprint Buyback program versus the program that AT&T is said to be considering for its customers:

Customers can sell their phones to Sprint Buyback at any time; not just as part of a trade-in / upgrade transaction
The account credit customers receive from Sprint Buyback can be added to the advertised subsidies on any upgrade
Some models more than two years old are still eligible through Sprint Buyback (as of today, the Samsung Blade A900M will net you an account credit of $25)

At Sprint, we plan to continue enhancing the Sprint Buyback program. Look for even more features in the near future. In the meantime, if you've used the Sprint Buyback program, we'd love to know more about your experience. How did it go? What, if anything, would you like to see us change?

Darren Beck | Sprint | Manager, Resource Stewardship
darren.d.beck@sprint.com | Twitter: @DarrenBeck

90% Recycling Goal - Disconnected from Reality?

2009-03-03T02:40:26Z

Recently Sprint announced a 10-year recycling goal. By 2017, we intend to be collecting nine phones for reuse and recycling for every 10 phones that we sell a 90% collection rate. This is ambitious goal. No wireless retailer, carrier or manufacturer is achieving a collection rate that high today. At Sprint, our collection rate was 34% in 2008. While this was up from a collection rate of 22% in 2007, it still leaves a gap of 56% for us to cover by 2017.

Here are a few more statistics to ponder. There are more than 270 million wireless subscribers in the U.S. today that includes you, me and just about everyone else in the country. On average, we're going to use our cell phones for 18 months before we retire them. At that rate by mid-2010, those 270 million cell phones would be candidates for reuse and recycling. Add those to the surplus of old phones sitting in drawers and storage that have yet to be recycled or thrown away, and we're talking about a pool of several hundred million phones.

With this enormous surplus of phones, why is hard for some to believe that Sprint can achieve this 90% goal? Kevin Ferguson notes on InformationWeek’s Green Computing Blog that "a 90% rate seems to be disconnected from reality". Is it? Let's play this out. Even if Sprint's annual sales were 20 million phones for a given year, meeting the goal would only entail collecting 18 million phones. Given the surplus that exists, it would be feasible to meet a goal of 200%, 300% or more for years to come.

The real challenge, as Mr. Ferguson adeptly points out, is human nature. Since only about 10% of cell phones that are retired in the U.S. today get recycled, it's hard to argue that point. Here are three things that he sees which are working against increased collections: 1) Laziness - "There are people like me: well-intentioned layabouts who would just as soon shove the old phone in the bottom drawer as print out a label and mail it in."; 2) Giving proceeds to charity is not sufficient incentive - "Now, I am charitable. But, as we've discussed, I'm lazy. And for some reason, scrounging around my closet for donations to Big Brothers Big Sisters seems easier."; and 3) We're not forced to do it - "Few states require consumers or manufacturers to recycle their phones."

Let's bring this home. Until I stepped into my current position at Sprint about three years ago, why was it that I hadn't recycled my unused cell phones. I probably had three floating around the house two that my kids were using as "play" phones. In my case, I wasn't aware that they could be recycled. Also, there was always the possibility that I might need one of them as a spare. Turns out that I was in the same boat as most Americans. Those are two of the primary reasons that most have for not recycling along with not knowing how to save data (contacts, photos, text messages, etc.) or erase the data from cell phones, and a general feeling that recycling a cell phone falls low on the list of life's priorities. These add up. They contribute to that significant uphill climb to which Mr. Ferguson alludes.

What are your thoughts? Do you have unused cell phones, batteries, accessories and data cards at home or at the office? If so, what would have to happen for you to recycle them? What could Sprint do make that that experience more convenient or rewarding for you? Your opinion matters to us, and we'd love to receive your feedback.

Darren Beck | Sprint | Manager, Resource Stewardship

darren.d.beck@sprint.com | Twitter: @DarrenBeck

Sprint Recycles - Spread the Word

2009-02-10T04:52:40Z

Did you know that nine out of 10 Sprint customers have at least one unused phone at home? Some have five or more. Many of those phones are destined for landfills since most are unaware that the devices can be reused and recycled.

Sprint offers two free and easy options for reuse and recycling. Sprint Buyback offers customers up to $50 in account credit per phone for select models. Sprint Project Connect accepts all wireless phones, batteries, accessories and data cards and generates net proceeds from the equipment to support Internet safety for kids. This is good stuff, but less than a third of customers know these programs exist. Once they learn about them though, six out of 10 surveyed say they're more likely to recommend Sprint to others.

Sprint communicates the programs in several ways: through postage-paid envelopes in the box with new phones, in our retail stores, on Sprint’s web site, and even through public events like “American Consumerism: Through the Lens” held last November in Kansas City (click here for a video excerpt featuring Chris Jordan, environmental artist and advocate for social change). However, one of most effective ways to let people know is by “word of mouth”.

Will you help spread the word? It’s easy. Just let friends and family know that Sprint offers recycling. Encourage them to visit www.sprint.com/recycle for details. Having that brief conversation can help safeguard the environment. All of the equipment Sprint collects is kept out of the waste stream, which alleviates the risk of toxins entering our water and air through landfills and waste incinerators. And, since reuses more than 90% of the phones collected are reused, it conserves energy and resources that would otherwise be used to manufacture more phones.

Darren Beck | Sprint | Manager, Resource Stewardship

darren.d.beck@sprint.com | Twitter: @DarrenBeck