Green in Mobile

More than 3 billion people own a cellphone. It’s arguably the hottest consumer-electronics product ever. But that success also can lead to a lot of waste in landfills — and worse — around the globe. In a world where green is the new black, RCR Wireless News took an in-depth look at how the various segments of the wireless industry are implementing green initiatives.

Beyond being good corporate citizens, it turns out wireless vendors have another incentive to turn green — economics. Wireless carriers are demanding less power be used to run their networks and are pushing paperless billing to reduce printing and mailing costs. Handset manufacturers have begun recycling programs so they can reuse components in new devices. Infrastructure vendors are investing in wind and solar power to run networks because it might be cheaper than the cost of getting fuel to remote locations.

One missing component? Consumers, who talk the talk but don’t always walk the walk. Recycling surveys from several sources have found generally dismal consumer participation in recycling programs. At the same time, the sheer volume of discarded handsets has created an entire industry that thrives on take-backs, recycling and reuse.

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