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by: lucyevans44
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In today's fierce and competitive market, how can a company sell more cell phones? The best solution is to make "green" phones. The global Korean consumer electronics corporation Samsung announced at the Seoul World IT Show that it plans to begin offering two environmentally-friendly handsets. The W510 is the very first. Hazardous heavy metals such as lead are not used in the W510, which is constructed from a corn-based bioplastic. the heavy metals mercury, currently a concern in the consumption of any fish products, and cadmium, a potentially toxic element that internal combustion engines spew.

This is the earliest Samsung bioplastic-based telephone. Nevertheless, Samsung is neither the first nor the only big-time consumer electronics manufacturer that is utilizing the unconventional material - at the CES in January, Fujitsu showed off a laptop with a bioplastic case. Furthermore 3310 Evolve has been produced by Nokia, a cell phone partially constructed from biomaterials.

Completely disposing of petroleum-based plastics is a terrific idea, but by now it is well known that corn as a substitute for fuel and plastics is not a sustainable, Our hope is that Samsung's later models will convert to a more sustainable, next-generation bioplastic, even though we understand, the thought process behind testing out the market for bioplastic with cheap and readily available corn before any decisions are made.

Samsung has come out with a new phone. It is called the F268 and the company confirms that this phone does not contain either PVC Polyvinyl chloride, a multi-use petroleum based plastic or brominated flame retardants (Flame retardants consisting of organic compounds containing bromine). This telephone is a leap forward in the company's project to cease the use of PVC and BFRs in all of its mobile telephones by 2010.

Greenpeace has credited Samsung with good marks for being a consumer electronics manufacturer that is friendly to the environment. The recent "Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics" is the basis for this. which says that the company has received a rankng of 7 out of 10 since March. ranking it near the top. Invariably, It also received praise for its planned schedule for phasing out use of PVC and BFR. Nevertheless, while, last November, Samsung began bringing to market PVC-free LCD panels. The Greenpeace ranking system deducted points becaues it did not implement a complete redemption and recycling program.

About the Author

Lucy is a freelance journalist with an interest in recycling and envirophone.

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