by Shane Henson — July 6, 2011—UL Environment, a business unit of Underwriters Laboratories, will soon release a new set of sustainability requirements, UL ISR 110, the first edition of a collaborative effort to develop a sustainability standard for mobile phones. UL ISR 110 is the first set of requirements specifically drafted for use in evaluating mobile phones to identify those phones having the least environmental impact.
UL ISR 110 sets environmental requirements for “environmentally preferable” mobile devices by measuring environmentally sensitive materials, energy management, manufacturing and operations, impact to health and environment, product performance, packaging, and product stewardship.
In addition to announcing the new ISR, UL is also releasing a white paper called The Life Cycle of Materials in Mobile Phones. This paper details the variety of chemical elements and engineering materials often used to create mobile phones, to help consumers and businesses understand how their personal environmental footprints are impacted. The paper highlights the valuable resources found in mobile phones, including precious metals that can and should be recovered at the end of the product’s life.
