Old mobile phones help Philippine tarsiers

The Nokia Mobile Man

Caring for the environment and supporting advocacies such as saving endangered animals need not cost money. One initiative that rewards cell phone recycling and supports conservation efforts at the same time is “i-rEcover. i-rEcycle.,” a project of Nokia, Globe Telecom, Ayala Foundation, and the Philippine Tarsier Foundation Inc. (PTFI).

The program aims to attract the general public, including Globe and non-Globe subscribers, as well as Nokia and non-Nokia users, to donate old mobile phones by bringing them to the cell phone recycling bins located in Globe stores and at Ayala malls.

Nokia will give a P100 donation to the PTFI for every “complete” mobile phone it receives. The donations will support programs for preserving the Philippine tarsier and its habitat.

Nokia corporate communications manager Nikka Abes says a mobile phone unit is considered “complete” if it has its front and back cover. It does not need to have its battery or related accessories.

And, if you donate a “complete” mobile phone to any Globe store or during the Ayala Recyclables Fair, you will receive a Nokia “eco-premium item” for your contribution. Anyone who donates a complete mobile phone at the Globe Business Center gets either an eco-bag, eco-notebook, or eco-pencil, subject to availability and while supplies last.

The program will run from September 2011 to August 2012. Participants may visit any of Globe’s 140 stores nationwide or Ayala malls located in Glorietta, Greenbelt, Alabang Town Center, Bonifacio High Street, Market! Market!, Trinoma, and Metropoint Mall, Pasay, here in Metro Manila; and at Pavilion Mall in Biñan, Laguna; Solenad-Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna; MarQuee Mall in Angeles City, Pampanga; Ayala Center Cebu; and Abreeza Mall Davao.

The partners aim to collect about 10,000 phones within the one-year period.

Consumers can turn in old mobile phones to get Nokia’s ‘eco-premium items.’

“Nokia’s environmental commitment has driven it to pursue sustainable means such as the recovering and recycling of mobile phones, mobile phone batteries and related mobile phone accessories, which not only help preserve nature and save endangered species, but also reflect responsible operations.

Worldwide, Nokia has been partnering with different organizations who share this vision,” says Francis Cheong, senior sustainability manager for Nokia-South East Asia Pacific.

“We are fortunate to have found partners with a similar commitment to environmental preservation. We are thus honored to be allied with Globe Telecom, Ayala Foundation and PTFI who are all equally dedicated to protecting the environment and encouraging more people to participate in this very important cause,” Cheong says.

“It is good to have an incentive for a private citizen to recycle. The project raises awareness on recycling as well as PTFI’s efforts to save the tarsier. At the same time, the project helps reduce the requirement for recyclable materials,” says Rob I. Nazal, head of corporate social responsibility at Globe Telecom, Inc.

Ayala Foundation senior director Mario Deriquito also expresses how this partnership aligns with the company’s commitment to creating public awareness on environment protection.

“We’ve been stepping up our drive to help educate the public on the value of saving the environment by making Ayala Malls more environment-friendly and initiating green programs throughout the year,” Deriquito says.

PTFI, on the other hand, welcomes such efforts from the private sector to support its advocacies.

PTFI president Urbano Lagunay says, “It is high time that more efforts are initiated to stop the continuing decline of the indigenous tarsier population. We thank Nokia, Globe Telecom, and Ayala Foundation for spearheading this program, as funds that will be donated from recycling old cell phones will be of immense help in our mission to protect the Philippine tarsier and its habitat.”

Nokia is a global leader in mobile communications whose products have become an integral part of the lives of people around the world. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people use their Nokia to capture and share experiences, access information, find their way, or simply to speak to one another.

Nokia’s technological and design innovations have made its brand one of the most recognized in the world.