UK manufacturers are recognising the benefits of becoming more environmentally responsible, it has been reported.

Flora Graham, mobile phones editor at CNET UK, claimed that business reasons are encouraging more companies to improve their green performance.

She was commenting after O2 launched an eco mobile phone rating scheme, the UK's first sustainable rating system for mobile phones.

"I do think that manufacturers are putting more of a commitment into being environmentally responsible, but I think there are business reasons for doing that rather than just doing it out of the goodness of their hearts," Ms Graham said.

She noted that manufacturers are looking for a way to differentiate their offering from their competitors, and lowering their carbon output is seen as being one way they can achieve this.

"O2 has tried their best to do an end-to-end analysis of the environmental impact of phones, but it is very, very difficult to quantify those things."

Meanwhile, Ms Graham said consumers should be putting pressure on manufacturers to improve their environmental performance as much as possible.

She noted that the chemicals and amount of energy that goes into mobile phones definitely needs to be lowered.

Posted by Dan Smith