Nokia leads in greening mobile phones

Nokia is heading up a group of cell phone manufacturers in making the industry more environmentally conscious.

The group, aligned by the European Commission, has pledged to reduce some of the toxic materials in the phones and increase public awareness and outreach reagarding proper disposal of unwanted phones and energy saving tips.

According to GreenBiz, "Over the next two years the group will look at the range of existing recycling schemes operated around the world and identify which work most successfully and why. they will also pilot the use of incentive schemes in a number of different markets around the world to understand how these can be used to improve collection rates."

Nokia says they'll stop using Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR) in their phones. And on the energy savings end, the mobile companies will also begin including reminders for users to unplug the charger when not in use.

While I'd like to see more changes on the manufacturing side of things, I do like that the mobile makers are stepping up to address some of the problems associated with their products, and that they seem committed to increasing consumer awareness on these issues.