Sony, Samsung Go Green With New Phones

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J. (TheStreet) -- Move over, Apple(AAPL Quote) iPhone. Here comes the e-phone.

While phone-service carriers and electronics makers have long supported environmental initiatives such as recycling old devices, they have turned their efforts up a notch recently by marketing new devices that are both ecologically and literally green, bright green, allowing consumers to flaunt their love for Mother Earth.

Last winter, Motorola(MOT Quote) teamed up with T-Mobile to release the W233 Renew, a no-frills phone made of bright green plastic from recycled water bottles. Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications(SNE Quote) in June launched its GreenHeart portfolio, including a phone with a built-in pedometer to encourage walking. And on Aug. 16, Sprint Nextel(S Quote) will start selling the Reclaim, a green smartphone from Samsung Electronics, which comes in both a vibrant "earth green" and a soothing "ocean blue."

"Everybody is interested in preserving the planet and protecting the environment right now," says Samsung spokeswoman Kim Titus.

The Reclaim is free of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC; the text on its box is printed with soy-based ink; its user manual is available only online to save paper; its packaging is made of recycled materials; and 40% of its casing is made out of corn-based plastic.

The case of Samsung's Reclaim smartphone is made of corn-based plastic.

Critics say these so-called bioplastics are environmentally taxing to produce. For example, corn production often involves the overuse of pesticides. But bioplastics are arguably better for landfills than run-of-the-mill materials. And if you buy the phone directly from Sprint, $2 of the purchase will go to the Nature Conservancy's Adopt-a-Tree program.