State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan

Telenor has introduced mobile phone buyback/recycling in Europe for the sake of the environment. To provide an incentive, Telenor will give 50 free SMS and the Red Cross will plant 25 trees in Asia for every phone recycled. I wonder how many of these phones from Norway will end up in Pakistan? As mentioned below, Telenor Pakistan will also start this recycling campaign later this year.

The press release from Telenor estimates at least four million used mobile phones are lying around collecting dust in Norwegian homes. Norwegians change phones every two years on average. Presently 82 per cent of Norwegian households have at least one mobile phone extra that they are not using. It is only a dismal 12 per cent of consumers that recycle mobile phones. Since mobile phones are not being returned for recycling, mobile phone manufacturers are forced to extract new materials, in stead of just using the resources already available in used mobile phones.

“Telenor wants to help consumers dispose of mobile phones in a safe, secure and environmentally friendly manner. Of the phones collected those damaged will be recycled. Those that can be repaired will be sold in Asia which is a well-functioning market for used goods. Proceeds from the sales will be given to the Red Cross. This gives the mobile phone a “safe death” or a longer life-span in other markets,” says Ragnar Kårhus, head of Telenor in Norway.

One mobile gives 25 trees
For every mobile phone received in the new recycling scheme, the Red Cross receives financial support to plant 25 trees in Asia. If Telenor reaches its goal of collecting 70,000 mobile phones, users of the scheme would in effect contribute to planting an unbelievable 1.8 million trees in 2009. The trees are being planted as a preventive environmental measure to reduce the danger of soil erosion and give a more sustainable environment.

“For every tree the Red Cross plants in vulnerable areas we contribute to preventing extreme weather conditions and climatic damage. We are strengthening the resistance of the local community to disasters such as cyclones, floods and heavy downpours. At the same time it is an excellent initiative for recycling mobile phones. In this way the collaboration with Telenor is good for the environment in Norway and the local communities we support,” says Sven Mollekleiv, president of the Red Cross in Norway.

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Mobilink under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive has launched a project of recycling handsets. The CSR drive plays an active role in supporting the community and social development of Pakistan.

As a caring corporate citizen and an environmentally responsible organization, Mobilink has initiated a project to collect mobile phones and accessories no longer in use, refurbish repairable items and donate them to the Pakistan Association of the Deaf and the Disabled Welfare Association. Your donation will greatly benefit hearing impaired and physically disabled individuals by connecting them with the people around them and providing an essential source of communication.

Items beyond repair will be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner in order to ensure toxic chemicals found in mobile phones do not pollute the air or leak into our groundwater.

What is useless to you could bring connectivity to someone’s life.

For more details visit Mobilink website page on recycling. Also read more about phone recycling trends and Nokia’s contributions to recycling efforts over the world.

Recycling is a very important factor in creating a sustainable future given today’s high consumption lifestyle. However recycling of gadgets such as cell phones is below where it should be. A recent study by Nokia showed that consumer awareness is a major issue which results in lower levels of recycling. In Pakistan – and other developing countries - most phones are sold over and over again as there is demand for old and cheap phones. Many used phones from the developed countries also end up in developing countries and I think more awareness and education about recycling can help there. Below is some information from a recent Nokia survey on recycling trends.

Only 3% of people recycle their mobile phones despite the fact that most have old devices lying around at home that they no longer want, according to a global consumer survey released by Nokia. Three out of every four people added that they don’t even think about recycling their devices and nearly half were unaware that it is even possible to do so.

The survey is based on interviews with 6,500 people in 13 countries including Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA, Nigeria, India, China, Indonesia and Brazil. It was conducted to help Nokia find out more about consumers’ attitudes and behaviors towards recycling, and inform the company’s take-back programs and efforts to increase recycling rates of unused mobile devices. Read more »