Motorola is set to unveil the world's first mobile handset made from plastics from recycled water bottles.
The MOTO W233 Renew will be unveiled this week at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Motorola says the plastic body of the handset is 100 percent recyclable, and indeed claims it is the world's first carbon neutral phone, thanks to an alliance with Carbonfund.org.
Essentially, Motorola offsets the carbon dioxide required to make, distribute and operate the handset by investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation. The phone has apparently been awarded the Carbonfund.org's CarbonFree product certification.
"Today, natural resources, energy and time are more precious than ever before," said Jeremy Dale, corporate vice president, global marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices. "From the product's design, to the packaging to our partnership with Carbonfund.org, we wanted to ensure that this device makes the right impact with consumers and the environment."
And it is not just the device itself that is green. Motorola has reduced the size of its packaging by 22 percent, and the box and all of the materials inside are printed on 100 percent "post-consumer recycled paper." Customers can even use a postage-paid recycling envelope in the box to return their previous mobile phone for recycling, at no cost.
Specific details regarding the dual-band GSM handset remain sketchy at the moment, although it seems it will have nine hours of talk time, and will feature CrystalTalk technology and messaging capabilities.
Back in March last year, Motorola announced it would split into two companies, one making mobile devices and the other making network infrastructure. It reaffirmed the decision to hive off the mobile arm back in July, a move slated to take place later this year.
The decision followed years of falling market share for Motorola's handset division, which has struggled to replicate the success it once enjoyed with its Razr handset.