www.WirelessFederation.com/news: It’s time for the mobile world to go green and after Sprint, AT&T has joined the league to save environment. New standards will be adopted by the operator for its packaging and handset designs with a mission to reduce waste, encourage recycling and reduce its carbon footprint.

Both AT&T and the manufacturers have started working on different methods that could reduce the amount of packaging that goes into its handset boxes, besides reducing the size of the boxes themselves. It has been estimated that 60% less paper and 30% less plastic will be used in its packaging by switching materials from plastic to recycled paper.

Newer and stricter standards are required to be adopted by handset makers to reduce packaging, use non-petroleum based inks and use recycled materials for in-box documentation. AT&T also believes that the GSMA Universal Charging Solution will be complied by majority of new devices, mandating a more energy-efficient charger for new devices. GSMA has already restricted the use of lead, mercury, and other hazardous materials used in electronic equipment and AT&T believes these changes will have a positive impact on the environment.