Sprint, in conjunction with Samsung Mobile, celebrates first environmental phone certification at 15th Annual Global Green Millennium Awards

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), June 07, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings), in conjunction with Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.¹, announced this past weekend that Samsung Replenish^TM has received Platinum certification by the UL Environment, a wholly owned subsidiary of UL (Underwriters Laboratories Inc). The certification is based on UL Environment’s interim sustainability requirements for mobile phones, known as UL ISR 110. Building upon last week’s announcement to improve the entire life cycle of the devices it sells, the UL Environment certification of the Samsung Replenish is Sprint’s first key accomplishment under its new Electronics Stewardship Policy. The announcement was made at the Sprint-sponsored 15^th Annual Global Green Millennium Awards, which honored celebrities and organizations for their environmental activism.

UL Environment Certification

This is the first third-party, independent certification to mobile device sustainability criteria that considers the device’s environmental impact throughout its entire lifecycle. The Samsung Replenish is the first mobile phone to receive such a certification and platinum is considered the highest environmental ranking based on UL Environment’s certification requirements.

“We are proud the Samsung Replenish is being recognized by UL Environment,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America. “Meeting the requirements set by UL Environment is a great achievement and shows Samsung’s dedication to delivering environmentally preferable devices. The Replenish gives customers the option to have an eco-friendly phone without having to compromise features and functionality.”

The Samsung Replenish, launched May 8 as Sprint’s fourth eco-friendly¹ phone and first environmentally preferable Android smartphone, was built with unique sustainable considerations:

• It contains reduced environmentally sensitive materials (RoHS compliant, free of intentionally added polyvinyl chloride [PVC], brominated flame retardants [BFRs], phthalates, and beryllium)
• 82 percent of the device is made from recyclable materials.
• Fully recyclable packaging² incorporates 80 percent post-consumer waste material and uses soy inks.
• An energy efficient charger meets the EC Code of Conduct on Energy Efficiency of External Power Supplies, Version 4, as well as a visual alert for full charge.

Sprint announced earlier this year that it would participate in the development of UL Environment’s sustainability requirements, UL ISR 110, which sets minimum environmental requirements for “environmentally preferred” mobile devices by measuring environmentally sensitive materials, energy management, manufacturing and operations, impact to health and environment, product performance, packaging, and product stewardship. Sprint’s desire to have a single industry standard prompted UL Environment to develop the consensus-based UL ISR 110 sustainability requirements, and that process continues today with input from many manufacturers, wireless carriers, and other stakeholders.

“We’re grateful that Sprint identified the need for a sustainability standard for mobile phones and encouraged us to lead the development of one,” said Steve Wenc, president of UL Environment. “We applaud Sprint and Samsung for demonstrating its product leadership by participating in the certification program and achieving an extraordinary Platinum level certification with its Replenish phone.”

Sprint at the Global Green Millennium Awards

Sprint sponsored the 15^th Annual Global Green Millennium Awards, which honored organizations and individuals for their contributions to protecting the environment. As celebrities arrived at the Millennium Awards in electric vehicles (EVs), Sprint displayed how it secures connectivity and network capabilities for ECOtality’s Blink EV Commercial Pedestal Electric car charger. Throughout the evening, guests could also experience the Samsung Replenish and donate their used mobile phones to Sprint for recycling. To date, Sprint has kept more than 24 million phones out of landfills.

“We were excited to share our news on our UL Environment platinum certification at an event like the Global Green Millennium Awards,” said David Owens, vice president for product realization. “It was a great way to showcase all that Sprint does to develop, design and power sustainable solutions and to illustrate our commitment to the highest environmental standards from product design to disposal.”

The Awards ceremony raised funds to support Global Green USA’s initiatives to rebuild a green New Orleans; create green, affordable housing and green schools across the nation; and continue to advocate for innovative and effective policy initiatives that combat climate change.

Sprint’s Sustainability Program

This announcement aligns with Sprint’s larger sustainability efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, use renewable energy, create less waste and sell greener mobile devices. Sprint has two take-back programs in place – Sprint Buyback and Sprint Project Connect^SM– that ensure that old or unused mobile devices are handled responsibly and kept out of the waste stream.

Sprint’s industry-leading role in corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability continues to receive recognition. For the second year in a row, Sprint ranked highest among all U.S. telecom companies on Newsweek’s 2010 Rankings of America’s Greenest Companies at No. 6, up from No. 15 in 2009. Sprint was also ranked highest among the wireless carrier industry on the Carbon Disclosure Project’s “Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.” Sprint also received Frost & Sullivan’s 2010 North American Green Excellence of the Year Award in Mobile & Wireless for its demonstrated leadership and commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, proactive approach to the deployment of renewable energy, and aggressive cell-phone recycling efforts. To learn more about Sprint programs that protect the environment, go to www.sprint.com/responsibility or follow @SprintGreenNews on Twitter.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 51 million customers at the end of 1Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About Samsung Telecommunications America

Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of (US) $116.7 billion. Employing approximately 157,700 people in 185 offices across 65 countries, the company consists of seven independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com.

About ECOtality Inc.

ECOtality Inc. (NASDAQ:ECTY), with headquarters in San Francisco, is a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies. Through innovation, acquisitions and strategic partnerships, ECOtality accelerates the market applicability of advanced electric technologies to replace carbon-based fuels. For more information about ECOtality Inc., please visit www.ecotality.com.

About Global Green USA The American arm of President Gorbachev’s Green Cross International was founded in 1994 and is a national leader in advocating for smart solutions to climate change that benefit humanity by saving energy, reducing CO₂ emissions, improving health, creating green jobs, and securing a more sustainable future. For more than 15 years, Global Green has greened nearly $20 billion in new school and affordable housing construction; authored multiple state and national laws and policies on green building, climate change and energy-efficiency; and responded to environmental disasters from hurricanes, to chemical weapons dumping, to sea level rise and the melting of the poles. Global Green is the only national environmental group with headquarters in Southern California and has offices in New Orleans and Washington, DC.

¹ Based upon reported shipment data from Strategy Analytics Q1 2011 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Report.
² The term “eco-friendly” refers to the product, packaging and recycling initiatives as described in this release and applicable product documentation, websites, and other referenced programs.
³ Recycling programs for the device and packaging may not exist in all areas.