ecogoal Standards Guide

STANDARDS GUIDE

ecogoal

ecogoal is a standard of manufacturing process based on full lifecycle analysis.

Initially for mobile phones, benchmarks are set by the Ecogoal Group, an international organization dedicated to investigating the environmental impact of many consumer goods. Ratings are based on four primary categories: materials, labor, energy, and recycling.

Mobile Phone Lifecycle Analysis

Harmful minerals such as the notorious coltan ore are mined across Africa by workers of all ages, often equipped with no protective equipment or filtration masks for safe breathing. In many cases, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, coltan mining has been helping to finance serious conflict and perpetuate warfare.

Minerals are mined, moved through trading houses, exported to various

international markets, refined for use in electronics, and then sold to consumer goods manufactureres. More than just mobile phones, this process is the origin for most consumer electronics.

Mine raw materials.

Assemble units.

Assembly of a mobile phone is a complex process. After extraction, refined materials are formed into various chipsets, solders, metals, plastics. Through serveral sub-assembly processes, the components of the phone (the screen, processor, microphone, camera, etc.) are manufactured across Asia due to its inexpensive labor. Components are shipped to a central assembly location where workers put the device together, often largely by hand, performing the same physical actions that often induce carpal tunnel syndrome.

Consume energy.

All of the aforementioned processes are incredibly energy-intensive, and they often take place in facilities that are archaic and inefficient. Massive quantities of raw materials and sub-assembled components are transported across Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe.

As with most consumer goods, every step of the mobile phone manufacturing

process is designed for affordability rather than sustainability.

Often seen as the salvation of the consumer electronics lifecycle, device recycling is not always a safe process. In the worst cases, recycling facilities are centers where electronic junk is shipped to workers who crack everything open, rummage for any valuable minerals, chips, or components, and burn the remaining materials, sometimes without any air filtration masks or ventilation.

It is important to recycle electronics in a responsible manor. Facilities

need to protect laborers’ health as well as dispose of waste material safely. Devices, as well, must be designed with recycling in mind, and streamlining product lines can assist in reducing e-waste.

Recycle devices.

ecogoal Label Design

RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS

eco goal Samsung Galaxy S II Smartphone average

ECO GOAL:

71%* 9%*

LABOR CONDITIONS ECO GOAL:

Toxic-free materials Additional chemicalphaseout

90%* Worker safety 36%* Child labor vigilance 47%* Equitable wages

CLEAN ENERGY USE Global impact

ECO GOAL:

RECYCLE YOUR CELL PHONES To recycle this phone, visit Samsung.com/recycle or call 1-88-SAMGSUNG to have a prepaid return package delivered to you for free.

DEVICE RECYCLING ECO GOAL:

6,570,000 kw Energy spent per phone 64% 4.9 lbs CO2 emitted per phone 37% 18% Renwable energy used

Phones returned Material recovered * BASED ON ECOGOAL COMPLIANCE AUDIT

For more, visit ecogoal.com/SamsungGalaxy on your computer or smartphone, or look for instore interactive displays

eco goal Samsung Galaxy S II

RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS LABOR CONDITIONS CLEAN ENERGY USE DEVICE RECYCLING

Global impact

RECYCLE YOUR CELL PHONES To recycle this phone, visit Apple.com/recycle or call 1-888-SAMSUNG to have a prepaid return package delivered to you for free.

For full ecogoal report, visit ecogoal.com/SamsungGalaxy on your computer or smartphone, or see instore display

RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS

eco goal

ECO GOAL:

Apple iPhone 4S

82%* 21%*

Smartphone average

LABOR CONDITIONS ECO GOAL:

Toxic-free materials Additional chemicalphaseout

82%* Worker safety 21%* Child labor vigilance 32%* Equitable wages

CLEAN ENERGY USE Global impact

ECO GOAL:

RECYCLE YOUR CELL PHONES To recycle this phone, visit Apple.com/recycle or call 1-800-CALL-APPLE to have a prepaid return package delivered to you for free.

DEVICE RECYCLING ECO GOAL:

5,320,000 kw Energy spent per phone 82% 4.2 lbs CO2 emitted per phone 32% 32% Renwable energy used

Phones returned Material recovered * BASED ON ECOGOAL COMPLIANCE AUDIT

For more, visit ecogoal.com/AppleiPhone on your computer or smartphone, or look for instore interactive displays

eco goal Apple iPhone 4S

RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS LABOR CONDITIONS CLEAN ENERGY USE DEVICE RECYCLING

Global impact

RECYCLE YOUR CELL PHONES To recycle this phone, visit Apple.com/recycle or call 1-800-ASK-APPLE to have a prepaid return package delivered to you for free.

For full ecogoal report, visit ecogoal.com/AppleiPhone on your computer or smartphone, or see instore display

RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS How safe and sustainable are the materials that are used in production?

CRITERIA: Toxic-free materials Measured by Ecogoal group audit compliance Presence of substances considered toxic by the Ecogoal Group Guidelines.

Additional chemical phase-out Measured by Ecogoal group audit compliance Effort to detect and remove additional toxic substances not regulated by the Ecogoal Group Guidelines.

ENERGY USE In production, how much of the energy comes from renewable resources? How much energy is used by the device itself?

CRITERIA: Energy spent per phone Measured in kilowatts (kw) Total energy expended for the production of each phone. All of these figures include raw material extraction, sub-assembly, final production, and all transportation.

CO2 emitted per phone Measured in pounds (lbs) of CO2 Total carbon dioxide released for every phone produced.

Renewable energy used Measured in percentage of total energy spent per phone (kw) Amount of energy that comes from renewable sources (solar, hydro-electric, geothermal, wind, etc.) for production.

LABOR CONDITIONS Do employees work in a safe environment? Are they paid fair wages? Are underage labor policies enforced?

CRITERIA: Worker safety Measured by Ecogoal group audit compliance Average work environment safety rating across various production facilities.

Child labor vigilance Measured by Ecogoal group audit compliance This rating, using Ecogoal Group Guidelines, measures various facilties’ attentiveness and action taken regarding underage labor.

Equitable wages Measured by Ecogoal group audit compliance

This rounded diamond outline always represents the ecogoal standard.

Colored trianges that extend past the rounded diamond indicate exceeding standards provided by the Ecogoal Group, while triangles that end inside the rounded diamond indicate underperformance in that category.

Using a variable formula, this rating assesses the salaries of all workers involved in making the phone.

DEVICE RECYCLING How does the manufacturer recycle devices at the end of their consumer lifecycle?

CRITERIA: Phones returned Measured in percentage of phones returned Percentage has this company shown, historically, it can receive back units for recycling.

Material recovered Measured in percentage of usable material salvaged from each phone The estimated US dollar value of usable materials salvaged from recycled units as a percentage of the esitmated value of new materials that produce each unit.

2012