A vast majority of Kenyans are concerned about the environmental factors leading to global warming and would be willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly mobile phone, a study conducted by Nokia reveals. The study, by Nokia indicates that although people in Kenya share a deep concern for environmental problems, some of which are caused by lack of proper disposal of mobile phones and accessories, only a few recycle their old phones.
“People in Kenya are eager to buy mobile phones which have green features and are, to some extent, prepared to pay for these features. However, only a few recycle their old phones, indicating that there is no recycling culture in Kenya yet, and that awareness and educational campaigns have a key role to play in changing behaviours,” said Elisabeth Tanguy, Nokia’s Senior Sustainability Manager, Middle East and Africa.
Eighty four per cent of those interviewed in the study expressed concern about the climatic changes brought about by carbon emissions. Of those interviewed, a third expressed a “high concern” about environmental issues such as global warming or carbon emissions. About half of them, or 55 per cent, had a “medium concern.”
The study found that over half of Kenyans would be willing to pay more for an environmentally-friendly mobile phone. They are also interested in getting information that would help them embrace a more sustainable lifestyle – and this involves green mobile applications (apps) on their mobiles. And, Nokia is seen as the greenest brand among global brands.
Sustainability is at the heart of everything that Nokia does. The company is a market leader with over 1.3 billion Nokia phone users around the world. In addition, Nokia recently announced a new strategy including a commitment to connect the Next Billion people to the internet. About 80 per cent of the world’s population is living within a mobile-network range, yet only 20 per cent have access to wealth of information on the internet.
The sustainability efforts by Nokia include reducing the amount of electronic waste (e-waste) in Kenya. Regional recycling practice pales in comparison to the global average – whilst a third of people claim to have recycled a mobile phone at one point worldwide, only 6 per cent have done so in Middle East and Africa.