What is the Samsung Reclaim?
The Samsung ReclaimTM is Sprint’s first eco-friendly phone with a vibrant, eye-catching look and cutting-edge capabilities. Designed with recyclable components and packaging, the Reclaim is the perfect handset for the environmentally conscious consumer who wants their phone to be “green” without having to sacrifice on the latest technology.
How is the Reclaim environmentally friendly?
Key green attributes include:
- The Samsung Reclaim is 80% recyclable
- The Reclaim meets European standards for RoHS compliance, which means the device contains no cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
- The Reclaim contains no polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, or brominated flame retardants (BFRs), except for the Qualcomm chipset.
- The casing is a blend of bioplastics sourced from corn (40%) and polycarbonate (60%)
- The charger, approved by Energy Star, consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption and once the Reclaim is fully charged, a visable alert lets the user to unplug the phone charger.
- Because of the use of bioplastics, the manufacturing process of the device produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical devices.
- The outer packaging and inner tray are made from 70 percent recycled materials. The images and text on the box as well as the phone warranty information are printed with soy-based ink. The full user guide is online with just a brief guide in the box
Packaging wastes a lot of material. Is the Reclaim sold without added boxes or packaging?
The Reclaim comes in fully recyclable packaging with an eco-friendly design. The box includes condensed printed materials. The user guide will be posted online and replaced with an “Important Information Booklet” in the box to reduce paper.
A recycle bag for the phone is also included in the package. This allows customers to easily recycle their retired phone.
What is the device called the Reclaim?
One definition of reclaim is to regenerate. A key differentiator of the Reclaim is that 80 percent of the device is made from recyclable materials. Forty percent of the phone’s casing is built using bio-plastic, a type of plastic that is extracted from corn, a renewable resource.
How does the Samsung Reclaim compare to other eco-friendly phones?
The Reclaim is the most advanced eco friendly wireless device currently available in the United States. This device has strong eco friendly attributes combined with the latest in wireless technology to satisfy today’s tech savvy customers.
The Reclaim is Samsung’s first green phone in the U.S. Why hasn’t Samsung made more of its phones eco-centric?
As you might imagine, creating an eco-centric phone takes more time, money and research to develop than other mobile phones. But Samsung’s recently announced Eco-Management 2013 initiative has set aside more than 4 billion dollars to make all Samsung products and processes more eco-centric over the next 5 years.
What is the Reclaim’s bio-plastic material really made of?
It’s important to state that the bio-plastic casing covers about 40 percent of the Reclaim, mostly on the rear side and battery cover of the device. The bio-plastic material itself is a blend of bioplastics sourced from corn (40%) and polycarbonate (60%).
Why is only 40 percent of the phone’s casing made up of bio-plastic materials? Why not 100%?
Durability is an important feature for all Samsung phones. Research and testing showed 40 percent of bio-plastic materials blended with traditional plastic (polycarbonate), our phones can be more eco-friendly while still durable.
Are there parts in the Reclaim that are not eco-friendly?
Samsung has made investments in making our products and components more eco-centric. We’re working to make future parts and products even better for the environment. The Samsung Reclaim has one of the best material profiles of any device on the market and Samsung plans to introduce future phones with similar hardware qualities.
How is the Reclaim environmentally friendly when it uses corn and energy to make it?
All phones currently require some energy to create and build. Bio-plastics, made from corn, are thought to be a better source than petroleum-based plastic because bio-plastics are biodegradable, come from a renewable resource, corn and contribute fewer greenhouse gas emissions to the manufacturing process.
