Eco-points - Ecological advice for mobile phone purchasers

Today no easily accessible information on the ecological footprint of mobile phones is available. Thus sustainability- driven purchasing decisions are difficult for the consumers. To tackle this gap and provide ecological advice for mobile phone purchasers, the Swiss telecommunication provider Swisscom cooperated with the foundation myclimate to develop a method for quantifying of the environmental credentials of mobiles. The rating system, called eco-points, allows customers to include ecological considerations in their purchasing decision. The eco-points are elaborated based on publicly available information and are awarded according to the following three main criteria: power consumption, production energy and raw material selection. All devices sold in Swisscom shops were assessed and compared. Simpler devices received the highest scores; more complex devices however rank the lowest.