There appears to be little consistent information for evaluating manufacturer claims about green phones and other mobile devices and much of that is dated*. Here's what we found.

Greenpeace's assessment of PVCs/BFRs (Jan 10) show that Sony Ericsson's lead in eliminating these toxins from all models has now been followed by Apple and Nokia. Other vendors have only done this to specific models: Samsung's Reclaim GT-S7550 / Blue M560, LGE's GD510, Motorola's A45 ECO.

The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics does not rank individual products, rather, it ranks consumer electronics companies according to policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. Vertatique's tracking of Greenpeace's rankings over the years shows Nokia and Sony Ericsoon to be consistent top performers.

US carrier Sprint has developed criteria for its "Sprint Device Eco-logo." The carrier offers three phones with that label - Samsung Reclaim, LG Remarq, and Samsung Restore - and includes complementary features like more sustainable packaging and "Eco-friendly Accessories".

Nokia's approach says, "There's no need to look for a device with a green sticker - all Nokia devices come with eco improvements."

Apple has been making progress with the sustainability of its iPhone, including a life-cycle CO2e analysis.

A phone may not be too green if it over-radiates the user, so we checked the Environmental Working Group's cell phone electromagnetic radiation database, including its EWG's "Best Phones"and "Best PDAs/Smatphones". Unfortunately for the consumer, EWG's "Best" ratings from a radiation perspective don't always align well with other green phone ratings.

Our experience with mobile/smart phones is typical of the challenges sorting through green ratings of electronics products and companies. The lack of good information is also hampered by the lack of mobile phone listings from the European ecolabels.

We are unaware of any volume buyer of mobile devices (business, government, or education) that significantly weights green criteria in its purchasing decisions. Please comment below if you know of green-oriented volume purchasers.

Take a look at who are the greenest telecom providers.

Update 2010.06.28
@ecologee tells me he has been using his Samsung Crest E1107, an inexpensive solar-powered GSM lphone, for a couple of weeks now without plugging into the grid. His objective is to get through the summer without doing so. Getting through the short days of the German winter will be more of a challenge, as the phone is limited to 5-10 minutes of talk time for 1 hour of solar charging. The E1107 Crest, available in much of the world but not North America, offers a number of features, from a flashlight to an FM radio, that would make it attractive to those traveling off the beaten path . . . as long as they can find enough power for all those features. For those looking for greener approaches to charging their existing units, blogger Kathryn Vercillo offers 10 solutions, ranging from solar to stored vampire power..

* Some older green phone reviews, for those looking at older (and often more economical) models and at the used phone market:

About.com's "Top 3 Green Cell Phones" (undated) lists the Moto W233 Renew and Samsung's Reclaim / Blue S7550 models, but offers no methodology underlying the choices.

Greenpeace's Green Electronics Search (Dec 08) ranks mobile phones and smart phones/PDAs on 25 criteria, then boils them down to a 10-point scale. Top mobile phones were Samsung SGH-F268 (5.5), Motorola MOTORAZR V9(5.2), and Nokia 3310 Evolve(5.0). Only one smartphone was in that range, the Nokia 6210 Navigator (5.2), although the Sony Ericsson G900 (4.8) was close.

The Daily Green's "The Greenest Cell Phones" (Feb 09) also cites the Moto W233 Renew, along with Sony Ericsson GreenHeart, ZTE/Digicel solar phone, and Nokia 5630 Xpress Music Phone. Again, no methodology to determine 'greenest', but the author does add an important warning about the e-waste implications of a gratuitous upgrade to green.

Sources become dated as new models hit the market. We're always looking for new sources, please comment below if you know of any.