LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2012: Sprint CEO Dan Hesse emphasised the US operator’s commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability in his keynote at Congress today.

“Purpose, community, the environment and morality are often missing from business investment discussions. In addition to being the right thing to do over time, being environmentally responsible will lower our costs and enhance our brands,” he said.

Hesse said the company aims to reuse or recycle nine out of 10 phones it sells by 2017, as well as creating a “gold standard” for the certification of refurbished phones, through its participation in the Device Renewal Forum.

The company is also the first US telecoms company to publish an electronic stewardship policy concerning the disposal of electronic waste, according to Hesse.

The final element in Sprint’s sustainability efforts discussed was its recent acceptance into the World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers programme, to which just 28 companies have ever been admitted. The programme coordinates non-governmental efforts to reduce carbon emissions and minimise global warming.

Hesse added that Sprint’s “tireless effort to reduce our carbon footprint” and bring “more sustainable mobile devices and technologies” to the market, have seen it recognised in the industry, including a number three ranking in Newsweek’s Green List.