When a product reaches the end of its useful life, there should be a safe way to get rid of it. And it should be easy for the consumer. Sony Ericsson recognizes the importance of product returns and recycling activities. We take responsibility for our products, offering our own solutions for returning products and cooperating with other representatives of the field. By spreading the word about recycling, we want to make it easier for consumers to choose. For more information about the nearest collection point, please visit your [phone][1] manufacturer’s website!
Our goal is to recycle one million phones annually by the end of 2011 as part of our Global Take Back program.
Sony Ericsson also supports initiatives regarding the development of recycling legislation. We are involved in the process of implementing such laws in many countries around the world.
**Why Recycle?**
How long has this old phone been in the drawer?? Many people save their old phones or give them away to family or friends. Most of these phones end up in a desk drawer. We encourage recycling of old phones because components and materials can be reused in phones or for other purposes.
Most of these materials can be recovered and recycled. Instead of mining new metals, you can get them from your old phone – saving energy, resources, and reducing the environmental impact of the mining industry. Recycling e-waste prevents it from going to landfill and further exposure to hazardous radiation. And it’s the biggest source of metals for recycling.
To support “Individual Producer Responsibility” (IPR), Sony Ericsson launched the Global Environmental Guarantee in 2008 and began rolling out the “Global Giving Back” program. We have collection sites all over the world, and where other collection systems do not exist, we create new ones.
**Start recycling in a heartbeat!**
** **Give away your old phone today and grow your own Green Heart! Visit the manufacturer’s website and find a local collection point.
* Each [phone][1] Sony Ericsson contains up to 0.02 grams of gold. This precious metal will literally end up in a landfill if not recycled.
** According to a recent study, only 3 percent of people who had more than one cell phone confirmed that they gave away their last phone for recycling. Most cell phones that are no longer in use are hiding somewhere in the bottom of drawers.
* In 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that there are half a billion old phones in America’s homes that are of no use. Gold, silver, copper and palladium are worth more than $300 million in total.
** What can be recycled?**
** Recycled plastic lids are used to make all sorts of products. We’ve always used this material to make containers to transport phones to disposal sites. Some parts and components, such as RK – Displays or cameras, can be reused. Gold, silver, and copper are recovered through smelting and used in jewelry or electronics industries.
**Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)**
** Sony Ericsson participates in many of the recycling systems that have been established to meet the requirements of the European Union’s WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) regulations. The Directive imposes a shared responsibility on manufacturers, retailers and end-users to turn away electrical and electronic waste and prioritize its reuse, recycling or recovery. The WEEE became effective in August 2005, and Sony Ericsson’s operations are fully compliant with the law in this area. Sony Ericsson is a paid subscriber to many WEEE programs.
**How to properly dispose of?**
Give away your old phone today and grow your own Green Heart! Visit your phone manufacturer’s website to find a local collection point.
Recycling should be simple, and the first step is to find a collection point for used products for recycling . To maximize the user experience, information is provided not only about our company’s recycling systems, but also about other collective or private systems in which our company participates. If there is no Sony Ericsson or other company recycling point in your area – contact your local authority to find out the best way to recycle your old cell phone.
Starting in the fall of 2008 we created a collection system for recycling used products. Sony Ericsson now has more than 500 collection points in 8 countries and we are expanding our coverage.
Phones that are recycled through our system are recycled by a select recycling partner. To protect the environment and to guarantee fair working conditions for our personnel, our recycling partners are inspected to ensure that they comply with industry and national standards as well as our own requirements.
We guarantee that all phones handed over to our collection points will be recycled in an environmentally sound manner.
* Waste from the recycling process is minimized.
* The majority of recycled products are reused as recovered parts, recycled raw materials or energy.
* Other wastes are disposed of in an environmentally conscious manner in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
**Supported by the UN**
** **Sony Ericsson participates in the Mobile Phone Manufacturers’ Initiative (Mwpi), known as the Basel Conference, which is supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). As part of this initiative, we have developed regulations for the design, collection, recovery, recycling, and movement of products across borders for reuse. We also believe that regulations should not interfere with exploring alternative ways to create more efficient and environmentally friendly recycling systems.
**Recycling**
* Close to 5% of Sony Ericsson cell phones (relative to sales volumes) were collected and recycled through the European recycling system. Since most WEEE systems do not distinguish between types of products collected, i.e. they do not record or report information regarding the number of cell phones accepted, Sony Ericsson has to make a rough estimate of the number of recycled cell phones in the EU market. However, some European countries record the categories of electrical and electronic products recycled through the WEEE and their quantities, so an estimate of the number of collected cell phones that went out of order was calculated based on this data.
* The U.S. environmental protection agency Plug in To ecycling program has collected a total of 11 million cell phones.
* The Australian Mobile Muster collection system collected 122 tons of cell phones from the Mobile Muster program.
* In Canada, the Recycle My Cell program has recycled close to 12% of all phones sold there.
* In many Asian countries such as India, China and Japan, Sony Ericsson has organized and participates in local recycling systems.
A lot of phones were collected as a result of Sony Ericsson’s own services. From the beginning of these activities, Sony Ericsson decided to collect millions of phones, accessories and product parts. All these products and materials have been recycled according to manufacturing and national standards and our own requirements.
