How does the scoring work?
The Eco Rating score is a number used to indicate the environmental performance of mobile phones and is based on an objective assessment of both life cycle and environmental impact indicators.
The highest possible score is 100 for maximum environmental performance. So, the closer the score is to 100 the better is the environmental performance of the device. This indicator can be used as a guideline when purchasing devices with the lowest impact to the environment.
The Eco Rating label will also present five other assessments, covering 1) extraction of raw materials and production, 2) packaging and 3) transport, through to 4) durability during use and 5) how effectively the device can be recycled at the end of its life:
Durability
How well made is the device, the battery life and the guarantee period for the device and its components.
Recyclability
How well the device components can be recovered and taken apart, the provided information to allow it, and how well materials can be recycled.
Repairability
The ease with which the device can be repaired. The higher the score, the easiest to repair by the consumer.
Resource efficiency
Assesses the amount of scarce raw materials required - for example, gold for the manufacturing of electronic components. Lower quantities of scares raw materials need to be used for the device to get a higher score.
Climate efficiency
The greenhouse gas emissions of the device during its whole lifecycle. Devices that are more efficient in how they are designed and produced score more highly.
ECO RATING
The methodology
The Eco Rating method is capable of evaluating mobile phone devices from an environmental perspective. The method allows us to obtain a final unique score showing the environmental performance through its full life cycle of each assessed device.
The mobile phone lifecycle
Raw materials
This is the first stage that contains the implications of the recourses being extracted, e.g. In mines. The more recycled materials and the lesser the amount of scarce resources used, the better the Eco Rating would be.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the stage in which the different components of the mobile phone are produced and put together to become the finished product. This includes the packaging (plastic) and accessories (charger, cable).
Transport
Once the device assembly is finished, the product is shipped from "somewhere" in the world to your local country. The distance and the transportation types (ship or plane) are considered and its implication (e.g. C02 emission) are carefully evaluated.
Usage and Spare parts
During this stage, you hold the device in your hand and use it for many years. Here we assess the positive environmental capabilities of its device such as durability, upgradability and reparability but also its implication such as energy consumptions/charging.
End of life
This last stage looks after the environmental aspects when you decided to "throw away" the device in the recycling bin. This includes if the devices can be easily refurbished or if its metals and the plastics can recycled.