The World’s First Bio-Sourced SIM Cards

Gemalto, a digital security company, announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the launching of a pilot of bio-sourced SIM (subscriber identity module) cards for SFR, a French mobile phone company with 20 million clients. Gemalto’s press release dated February 16, 2010, explains, “The bio-sourced SIM card is made from a new renewable material derived from corn, sugarcane or potato starch. This material is easily recyclable and compostable through small scale industrial units and reduces the global ecological footprint of the production process.”

The recyclable and compostable card body is made from plant-based bioplastics, which can be incinerated without emission of toxic fumes. The Amsterdam-based company says it also supplied SFR with packaging made from recycled paper and plant-based inks and SFR will begin distribution of the bio-sourced SIM cards to its customers this spring. This program is the first trial of bio-sourced cards in the world.

Worth noting is Gemalto’s effective tactics of incorporating environmental sustainability into the product’s value proposition. From the company’s website, here is a list of the product’s Operator Benefits and End-User Value:

Operator Benefits

• Security: Ensuring SIM card safety
• Eco-friendly: Fully committed to environmental protection
• Brand: the perfect company brand and image booster
• Competitive: Improving cost saving packaging solutions
• Peace of mind: Gemalto manages complex logistic processes

End-User Value

• Security guaranteed to the access of the PIN and PUK code
• Simplified end user access and understanding to maximize the use of mobile services
• 2nd life for your product with re-usable packaging and card body: the gift concept!

E-Waste: A Small Component of the 2010 Olympic Medals

Like many of you, I am enjoying watching the 2010 Olympic Winter Games that are taking place in Vancouver, British Columbia. There are reports about the unique design of the medals awarded at the 2010 Winter Games, but a sustainable component to these reports is worth discussing on this blog. Making Olympic and Paralympic history, the medals will be the first to contain metals recovered from end-of-life electronics (e-waste) otherwise destined for the landfill. The medals are comprised of metals provided by Teck Resources Limited (Teck). (Photo: VANOC)

In describing the process of making the metal into medals, Teck says, “Historically, metal for the medals has been sourced only from mineral deposits that are mined from the earth and refined for commercial use. Teck has created a recycling process to recover metal from end-of-life electronics (e-waste) such as TVs, computers and keyboards. This process provides a practical solution to the challenge of reducing the amount of e-waste material destined for landfills and is part of the company’s pursuit of sustainability—a core value that drives its approach to business.”

Furthermore, according to the Vancouver-based mining, mineral processing and metallurgical company, “Metal can be sourced from many manufactured metal products, including household appliances, electronics or cables. Teck’s process involves recovering metals contained in cathode ray tube glass, computer parts and circuit boards through smelting. The process involves shredding, separating, and heating of the various electronic components to recover a variety of metals.”

The gold, silver and copper used in the medals were recovered from e-waste and then combined with the metal from other sources for the medal production. The content of recovered metal from the e-waste material in the specific metals is: Gold: 1.52%; Silver: 0.122%; Copper: 1.11%. While the percentages of reused metals are minimal, manufacturing the medals with recycled metals creates an inspiring initiative to reducing the Olympic Games' carbon footprint.

In addition to providing the metals, Teck worked with Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) and the Royal Canadian Mint in the development and production of the medals. Click here to watch a video, “The Making of the Vancouver 2010 Medals.”