Q: What’s a greener gift, an iPhone or a BlackBerry?
A: Forget sugarplums. If there’s a technophile in your life, chances are there’s a Kindle Fire, iPad or some sort of smartphone etch-a-sketched in their heads.
When it comes to electronics, I’ve always been really clear: buy less, invest in durability, use the extended warranty and resist the temptation of younger, sexier models. (Yes, I’m talking to you, iPhone 4 gawkers.)
Alas, phone fidelity is not our strong point. Canadians toss their cells, oh, every 33 months (compared to the four-and-a-half year itch that drives sales on PCs globally). But if you or your giftee are in the market for a new one and it’s got to be smart, how can you make sure yours is the least taxing on the planet?
Thanks to Greenpeace’s biannual electronics rankings, electronic makers have, for a few years, been in a horse race to gain the most green cred. A company that comes out ahead one year can plummet the next, though, like LG. It’s the first year that Rim’s been included in the guide, and I hate to break it to any already beleaguered CrackBerry-heads, but RIM got the lowest overall score of the 15 companies listed.
The November report slams RIM for failing to set greenhouse gas reduction targets or a timeline for phasing out hazardous substances from all its products (deadlines Apple and others have, for the most part, already met). On the bright side, it is one of the better scorers on the use of conflict minerals from the Congo.
Apple, on the hand, has climbed up the ranks, scoring most of its points for improvements in energy efficiency, e-waste recycling (exceeding 70 per cent globally), being PVC-, brominated-flame-retardant- and conflict-mineral-free, as well as for sustainable operations.
On that last front, however, Apple has been repeatedly slagged by a consortium of five Chinese NGOs. Just last week, reports emerged that 15 Apple supply factories in China have been accused of “excessive pollution.” According to the eco orgs, Apple told them it has been putting pressure on the factories to clean up their act. The company could not be reached for comment.
Greenpeace didn’t look at reliability and durability, but a 2010 survey of 50,000 mobile devices from four smartphone makers (Apple, Rim, Motorola and HTC) did. It found iPhones were the most dependable but were also the most breakable. BlackBerries had a higher malfunction rate, but do, as klutzes can attest, withstand a fall better.
There are, of course, other phones on the market. How do they stack up? Aside from total corporate standing, Greenpeace does have a list of the six greenest phones. Though it’s a bit dated now, here it is in order: Sony Ericsson Aspen (M1i), Nokia N8-00, Samsung GT-S8500 (Wave), HP Palm Pixi Plus, and much further behind, the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100/9105 and Dell Aero. Apple chose not to participate in the product report.
Note: at this point in the game, Samsung Evergreen is probably Samsung’s greenest model with 70 per cent recycled materials, though it has gotten flak for mediocre performance. Nokia’s greenest phone to date is also billed as the world’s smallest smartphone. It’s free of PVC, free of nasty brominated and chlorinated fire retardants, plus it’s made in part with recycled and bio-plastics and recycled metals. The cover is painted with plant-based paints, and Nokia, overall has been a top-two company for several years now in terms of green cred.
The U.S. branch of the Sierra Club says you can make your smartphone greener by multi-tasking – that is, by making the most of one gadget instead of also doling out for an e-reader, music player, GPS and point-and-shoot camera. Then you’ll at least be minimizing your overall e-waste.
Wanna know which phone still wins greenest mobile device year after year? That, my friends, is a second-hand phone.
Tips for making your smartphone more energy-efficient? Maximize your battery life by turning off features when you’re not using them, like GPS/mapping services, WiFi, Bluetooth, music equalizers, as well as by reducing screen brightness and closing power-hungry apps properly. (An Android app called PowerTutor tells you just how much power those applications are swallowing powertutor.org.) Check your phone manufacturer’s website for lots more brand-specific battery-saving tips. By the way, switching over to a 4G network will only drain your battery even quicker.
Remember, the lighter your phone use, the longer your battery will last, not to mention, you might just become more engaged in real-life conversations. Imagine that.
Got a question?
Send your green queries to ecoholic@nowtoronto.com
