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 The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced by a virtual user manual.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
MFreeman
says: 
Bronze Expert
says:
This is an excellent step for a major carrier to take. Kudos Sprint and Samsung. I hope other manufacturers and carriers follow suit. You should package this phone with the Toyota Prius, so they can tell us how much their cell phones and cars help the planet.