MWC 2008: Nokia unveils Remade as leaders push for green

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Nokia has displayed a handset made entirely of recycled materials, as other industry leaders called on the mobile sector to go green at the

Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The Nokia phone is just a prototype, but shows the fruits of years of labour. The operator has been talking about such a phone for years now. The 'Remade' prototype is made from recycled and renewable materials. "It really shows what can be made with materials and sustainability in mind," said chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo.

To see Kallasvuo speaking about the device at MWC, view the below video:

"There's little disagreement that our current level of development is not sustainable," said Kallasvu, adding: "Something needs to change." He called on operators to encourage recycling, optimise transport and improve energy efficiency.

A device such as Remade is a good start for an already low-energy sector, the head of the GSM Association said. "Let's start from the good news proposition that mobile is one of the most energy efficient tools," Rob Conway said, stressing the tech can be used to cut back on driving or flying somewhere.

Conway also called for a boost to recycling e-waste - despite also calling for cheaper handsets so everyone in the world can have one.

Indeed, Wang Jianzhou, chairman and chief executive of China Mobile, said the mobile industry isn't the worst offender when it comes to carbon emissions and energy use, but that's no excuse not to take action.

"All companies should pay attention to energy reduction and take a social responsibility," he said. "Telecoms is a low energy consumer, but it is increasing as networks are growing."

With the increasing levels of services and applications on mobile devices, it's not just networks adding to the trouble. "We now use a lot of servers and storage," he said.

China Mobile is hoping to cut its energy use by some 30 per cent. That's no small promise from a company which is adding five million subscribers a month - a statistic which garnered enthusiastic applause from the audience.

A recycling programme launched by the firm collected just 60,000 used handsets in 2006 - not many compared to the amount being sold each year. But last year, the number recovered in the "Green Box" programme topped three million.

Jianzhou advised other operators to look into using solar and wind energy to power base stations, and to use green packaging materials - and even better, to stop over-packaging.

China Mobile also has pledged to buy only low energy use equipment and to push for standardisation, as differentiation means more resources are used.

"In the short term, it means increasing capital expenditure, but it's worth it to benefit society," he said. "And in the long term, it can benefit corporations... through energy cuts."

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