Many tech companies seem insistent on just using “green” as a marketing gimmick, and Samsung is the latest to launch an ‘eco phone’ rather than just integrating green principles into all its handsets.

The company has come up with the “Blue Earth” phone, which is made of recycled plastic, free of Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium and Phthalate, and has a great big solar panel on the back for charging purposes.

The integrated solar charger is excellent news, but why isn’t the company planning that for all its future handsets? Why aren’t ALL Samsung phones made with recycled plastic and free of harmful substances? Why don’t they ALL come in recycled, minimum-mass packaging with an energy efficient charger? Why don’t they ALL come with a low-power “eco mode”?

Confining all those things to one model, especially one that looks as garish as “Blue Earth” does, won’t have any real ecological benefit. All it does is let Samsung say to its critics “look how green we are!”. Well, I’m afraid that’s not going to wash with us. Sorry Samsung – come back when your intentions lie in saving the planet, rather than your marketing department.

Samsung at MWC