Sprint and Samsung have launched what the two companies are calling an “eco-friendly” cell phone. Samsung’s phone, the Reclaim, does boast some environmental improvements over other phones, namely:

• Made from 80 percent recyclable materials (not to be confused with recycled materials)
• 40 percent of the phone’s outer casing is made from bio-plastic derived from corn
• Is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR)
• Outer packing and inside the box phone tray are made from 70 percent recycled materials
• Images and text on the box and phone warranty are printed with soy-based ink
• Phone’s paper manual has been replaced with a virtual manual
• Phone charger meets the highest energy efficiency standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and comes with a visual indicator of when the phone is fully charged

Samsung and Sprint deserve credit where credit is due. The Reclaim is certainly environmentally-friendlier than most cell phones, and Sprint is working on some sustainability initiatives that are important and noteworthy. But to say that this cell phone is eco-friendly as Omar Khan, senior vice president of Strategy and Product Management for Samsung Mobile, did is a stretch.

Samsung Reclaim is more than just an eco-friendly device, it’s also a powerful and stylish phone that’s easy-to-use. When you combine the Reclaim’s impressive feature set with its bio-plastic hardware and eco-friendly packaging, you’re using a phone that is good for you and the environment.

A home compost pile is good for the environment. Planting a tree is good for the environment. A cell phone manufactured across the world with precious metals like copper, nickel, gold, palladium, plastics, lead, mercury, cadmium, and other hard to dispose of inner materials is not. Yes, using corn based packaging and recycled boxes are a nice touch. So is removing certain harmful additives like PVCs, most of the BFRs, and donating two dollars from every phone to the Nature Conservatory. Just because the phone contains 80 percent recyclable material, does not make it good for the environment. Plastic soda bottles made from oil are 100 percent recyclable, and 100 percent unfriendly to the environment. If the plastic bottles were made from 100 percent recycled material, you might be able to get away with saying that they’re eco-friendly. Saying something is “X” amount recyclable is misleading as a claim for being an eco-friendly product.

We realize there are business and technological limitations to creating a cell phone that is good for the environment. However, consumers understand that technical limitations exist, and do not expect companies to create products that are not profitable. Consumers will not forgive a company they see as misleading, or not forthright. The cute butterfly and animated ear of corn on the Sprint web page, and the word “eco” emanating from a leaf on the back of this green colored device seem a bit like examples of misleading marketing.

Companies should be encouraged to discuss green initiatives with consumers. We recommend that accomplishments are highlighted in a straightforward manner. If a company wishes to share its green initiatives with the public in a non-misleading way, we encourage it to do so. We’ll even help. For example, Sprint is implementing some very important and effective sustainable initiatives such as:

• Recycle 50 percent of operational waste from commercial facilities by 2017
• Transitioning to using 10 percent renewable energy by 2017
• Significantly increase phone recycling efforts (which is a tremendously important task)

Samsung for its part deserves a nod for producing a slightly more eco-friendly cell phone. However, producing a greener device, and one that is “good for the environment” or “eco-friendly” are two very different things. While this device is certainly a step in the right direction, efforts should be made to market the product appropriately.

Do you believe the new Reclaim is an eco-friendly phone, or do you agree with us that this is another case of greenwashing?

As part of our effort to help your company identify consumer trends, we are looking at sustainable packaging. A recent Datamoniter study identified sustainable packaging as a growing consumer issue, with over-packaged goods being a major concern worldwide.

With over 50 percent of purchasing decisions made at the point of purchase, we know how important packaging is to product sales. The Datamoniter survey was conducted in over 15 countries, including the U.S.. Globally, 44 percent of respondents identified excessive packaging as a major concern. For many, concerns over packaging extend into purchasing decisions–see charts below.

As a matter of fact, industrial giant E.I. DuPont Nemours and Company has estimated that growth in sustainable packaging will reach 25-30 percent a year, compared with overall industry growth of four percent. This estimation is consistent with a study conducted by Pike Research, which claims the sustainable packaging industry will grow to 32 percent of the total packaging market by 2014.

Impending regulation may have a role to play in this transition toward sustainable packaging as well. Many municipalities are debating instituting bans of polystyrene containers. According to the China Daily Newspaper, the city of Beijing will exceed its landfill capacity within the next five years, and has already banned plastic bags, as have cities such as San Francisco.

Matthew Adams, Consumer Analyst at Datamonitor and author of the report, told Manufacturers’ Monthly:

Sustainable packaging has the potential to become the new breakthrough consumer issue of its time, in the same way as organic food or fair-trade products a decade or so previously. Sustainable packaging need not only be seen as a worthy environmental issue but more so as a ‘win-win situation’ where consumers, producers and the environment all reap the benefits.

Fortunately, some companies are beginning to see that there are greater benefits to reducing packaging than just consumer praise. Wal-Mart, as part of their sustainability initiative, has committed to reducing their packaging five percent by 2013. In 2005, Wal-Mart’s packaging team, along with partnered suppliers, reduced the packaging on nearly 300 items in their Kid Connection toy line. Just by reducing the packaging a small amount on this one toy line, Wal-Mart was able to use 497 fewer shipping containers, and generate a savings of $2.4 million a year. Imagine how much savings Wal-Mart will achieve by reducing packaging in additional product lines.

The latest data clearly indicates consumer desire for reduced and sustainable packaging. Wal-Mart has shown the savings potential. Hopefully more companies will see this data as an opportunity to both reduce costs and reap the benefits of this emerging trend.