ABI Research today released the results of a North American consumer survey that suggests nearly half of those surveyed are somewhat likely or very likely to be influenced by suppliers’ green credentials when purchasing mobile services or devices.
Respondents were asked whether they’d be more likely to purchase mobile services or mobile handsets from an operator that makes use of ‘green’ initiatives, which were described as: “…gives money to organization seeking to help the environment, actively employs programs that reduce its carbon footprint, buys network equipment from ‘green’ equipment vendors.”
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Forty-one percent of the 1,000+ respondents said they would be willing to pay more for green services, and 45 percent of respondents indicated that they’d be significantly or somewhat more likely to do so for green devices. Younger consumers showed a greater willingness to pursue green mobile activities than older respondents.
Jeff Orr, senior analyst for ABI, said operators should take notice. “Green issues were not even a talking point a couple years back. Now, subscribers of all age groups are expressing awareness of and interest in eco-friendly device and service incentives,” Orr said.
Greenpeace started a program in 2006 that ranks the 18 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. Nokia and Samsung take the top two spots on that list.
“If consumers are simply unaware of the environmental issues surrounding mobile devices and services,” Orr adds, “then the industry should increase its efforts to get the message across. Some other verticals – the inkjet print industry, for example – are more proactive in motivating consumers to help. And other ABI Research studies have found little motivation among handset vendors, except the two or three largest, to offer ‘green’ mobile device product lines.”
The EPA estimates that only 10 percent of cell phones worldwide are currently recycled.
Filed Under: Infrastructure