Bellevue, Wash. — T-Mobile polished its eco-friendly credentials with the launch of a phone whose housing is made from recycled plastic water bottles.
The Motorola W233 Renew, an 850/1900MHz GSM/GPRS bar phone, is available through select T-Mobile-owned stores and through T-Mobile’s Web site. At $9.99 with two-year contract, it’s targeted to the cost-conscious as well as to the eco-conscious.
Also to appeal to the eco-conscious, the phone packaging and included in-box materials are printed on 100
percent post-consumer recycled paper, and a prepaid shipping envelope is included for mailing a previously owned phone to a recycling center. The carrier also reduced the phone’s packaging material by 22 percent.
For its part, Motorola partnering with the Carbonfund.org to offset the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone. Motorola called the Renew the first carbon-neutral mobile phone.
T-Mobile’s green credentials don’t stop there. For purchasers of any of its phones, T-Mobile offers paperless billing. For every consumer who signs up for the option, the Arbor Day Foundation plants a tree. Since the partnership began in 2008, 500,000 trees have been planted, the carrier said.
T-Mobile stores also accept handsets, wireless PDAs, wireless computer cards and wireless accessories for recycling, but consumers are also able to use a prepaid label, printable from T-Mobile’s Web site at www.t-mobile.com/handsetrecycling, to mail in the devices for recycling.
Motorola also accepts mobile phones or accessory of any brand for recycling. Consumers print a postage-paid label from www.motorola.com/recycle to send the products to Motorola.
The 3-ounce 4.4-inch by 0.6-inch by 1.8-inch phone delivers nine hours of talktime or 18.75 days of standby. Features include SMS, music player, games, picture messaging, compatibility with T-Mobile MyFaves service, MicroSD slot and included hands-free headset.
