It’s inevitable, tomorrow gadgets will be better

BOSTON, USA – You do realize that, on average, most devices tomorrow will be better than devices in the same categories today? Yes, you do. Yet, for the most part, folks will constantly kvetch that we’ve released an EVEN BETTER device than the one they’ve been salivating over or just bought.

What can we do about this? And what are the implications of this relentless march of technology? Read on for a few more points around this topic and then feel free to let loose with how this “progress” really makes you feel.

Comments (23)

Nokia earns global sustainability kudos – the stories behind the success

ESPOO, Finland – The natural reaction at Nokia may be to blush coyly with news that it has today been named the world’s most sustainable technology company, according to the freshly released Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for 2009-10. However, here on Conversations we’re unabashedly proud to see Nokia earn the top slot as the most sustainable technology company in the world, because we’ve been keen followers, eagerly writing about many of the great stories, projects and initiatives that Nokia has been committed to in order to help get it to the position it has achieved today.

Of course, most of the folk directly involved with bringing the ethos of innovative sustainability to life at Nokia are indeed of the blushing breed, but as we’re not (remember Conversations is written by an Anglo-Brazilian, a couple of Americans and an Irishman!) we’ll happily shine a light on some of the smart projects and some lesser-read public Nokia documents that go some way to understanding how and why Nokia continues to be so focused on being a company actively in pursuit of employing great sustainability practices.

Comments (3)

Concern for the environment – it’s in everything Nokia does

GLOBAL – We have been writing a lot about all the actions Nokia takes related to the environment. Part of it is our interest in all the amazing things Nokia does and the awards it gets. But it’s also a fascination with just how prevalent care for the environment is at Nokia.

An article we wrote last month, exploring the question of phone buy-back schemes, was called into question by some of my colleagues, setting me off on an exploration of buy-back schemes, e-waste, and a deeper discovery of how far care for the environment goes at Nokia.

Join me, after the jump, in the first part of this discovery: Nokia and the environment. Continue reading>>

Comments (2)

Reuse or recycle

GLOBAL – Since writing the other day about recycling in India, and alternative ways to recycle in the UK, I’ve been a bit bothered about the whole issue (confusion?) between recycling and reusing old and unwanted products. First, to clear something up. The survey that was done last year related to recycling. As commenter Ripal pointed out, reuse is already a big deal in India, and is perhaps why people aren’t bothered about recycling (more on the differences later). Equally, in the second article on recycling, the first port of call for many of the still working devices that land on mobile recycler’s desks is reuse, either as a second hand device in the local market, or to be exported abroad.

Comments (1)

Save the environment, help a charity

LONDON, England - Since yesterday’s story about recycling in India, and more pertinently, Ripul’s comments and feedback on it, I’ve been thinking more about the whole area of phone recycling (and what I’m going to do with the bag of phones languishing in my cupboard). One thing I’ve come across previously (but not paid much attention to) are companies who will pay you good money for your old phone, before recycling it, refurbishing it and breaking it down for parts. ShP is, by it’s own claim, the first of these and also one which I’ve just noticed has a new twist on it – offering up the money you’d have got your phone to charity.

Comments (2)

Best of 2008 in Environment – Recycling

GLOBAL – There is no doubt that the past few years have seen a resurgence in environmental consciousness from consumers and businesses. And, indeed, Nokia has been working hard to expand all their recycling activities. Ranging from access to awareness to a cool video (see after jump), it’s been a banner year for mobile phone recycling.

Comments (0)

Relationships with customers never end

ESPOO, Finland – Going through my links today I found a few that made me think of how companies need to always remember that their relationships with customers do not end once the customer has the product.

Comments (0)

Agility with four billion users

Copenhagen, DENMARK – Yup, still in Denmark. But, before the week is out I wanted to make a few comments on what we are up to, the way the industry is growing, and some other items that keep me awake at night.

Comments (1)

Making recycling easy

MALAYSIA – If all of the 3 billion people in the world who own a mobile phone, recycled just one used device, it would have the same effect as taking 4 million cars off the road.

That’s according to Nokia Malaysia’s Nellie Abdullah who’s Nokia’s local environmental coordinator. She was talking to ZDNet writer Lee Min Keong at the launch of a new recycling initiative being trilled out there, using Kiosks to collect the phones.

Comments (5)

Nokia recycling survey – the big round-up

INTERNATIONAL – The past 24 hours have been awash with online news, chatter and general global reaction to Nokia’s new recycling survey. The shock figures have certainly begun to raise awareness, but now its time to turn up the heat and for us to collectively attempt to influence the way we behave with our redundant technology, regardless of if you’re using Nokia’s We Recycle service or any other local phone recycling program.