New labels in Europe will show how eco-friendly your smartphones are

News
By
published
Galaxy S20 FE in Cloud Red
Galaxy S20 FE in Cloud Red (Image credit: Hayato Huseman / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • A new Eco rating label has been unveiled for smartphones being sold in Europe.
  • Smartphones will have an overall rating based on several different factors.
  • The new label will begin appearing in June on phones from Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, and more.

Several European telecom companies have banded together to launch a new Eco Rating label for smartphones. The new label will be used to show consumers how eco-friendly the smartphones they buy are. This should make it easy for environmentally conscious consumers to make more informed decisions about smartphone purchases.

The initiative results from a collaboration between Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, Telia Company, and Vodafone.

Building a more sustainable future is our joint responsibility, so we believe the time is right to drive a harmonised, industry-wide Eco Rating Scheme that will improve transparency and help raise awareness of the environmental impact of the phones that our customers choose.

The new rating system will consist of several different values; durability, reparability, recyclability, climate efficiency, and resource efficiency. Based on the assessment of each value, individual smartphones will receive an overall Eco Rating score with a maximum of 100. The system will evaluate smartphones from production to end-of-life, assessing how easy it is to dispose of the materials used to build the device.

Smartphone Eco Rating Score

Source: Eco Rating (Image credit: Source: Eco Rating)

The smartphone OEMs involved make some of the best Android phones available, such as Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola, and more.

Samsung, the largest Android manufacturer, recently launched its own eco-friendly program called Galaxy Upcycling, which can extend the life of unused smartphones from the Galaxy S9 to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The program aims to reduce waste involved with disposing of old smartphones by giving them new IoT uses. For anyone interested, we can show you how to turn your old Samsung phone into a smart home sensor through SmartThings.

The new Eco Rating will launch in June in 24 countries across Europe.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Render Phantom Violet Back Official
The new best
Samsung Galaxy S21

Simply beastly.
The Galaxy S21 is one of Samsung's best flagship 5G smartphones. With the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, a large AMOLED 120Hz display, triple-camera system, there's almost nothing you can't do with this smartphone.

Derrek Lee
Derrek Lee
Managing Editor

Derrek is the managing editor of Android Central, helping to guide the site's editorial content and direction to reach and resonate with readers, old and new, who are just as passionate about tech as we are. He's been obsessed with mobile technology since he was 12, when he discovered the Nokia N90, and his love of flip phones and new form factors continues to this day. As a fitness enthusiast, he has always been curious about the intersection of tech and fitness. When he's not working, he's probably working out.