AT&T has launched Eco-Rating 2.0, an updated rating system that provides consumers an easy way to understand environmental and social factors associated with their devices, and helps device manufacturers to strengthen sustainability commitments.
The ratings, announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show, also now apply to tablets.
The 2.0 rating system includes social and environmental factors related to device manufacturing, including manufacturer usage of environmentally preferred materials, minimization of substances of concern, energy efficiency and responsible end-of-life treatment. As with AT&T’s current eco-rating system, consumers will be able to find AT&T’s Eco-Rating 2.0 scores on the web, and on packaging for devices.
AT&T-branded handsets such as feature phones, smartphones and tablets that enter its pipeline in 2015 will receive a one to five star eco-rating based on Eco-Rating 2.0 criteria. Devices rated under these new criteria are expected to enter the marketplace in the first half of 2015.
The system was developed by AT&T in collaboration with BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), a global nonprofit business network and consultancy dedicated to sustainability.
By October 2014, over 70 percent of AT&T’s eco-rated devices earned a rating of 4 or higher.