Nokia’s long standing commitment to environmental action has been recognized at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona where the company received the GSMA’s first award for Outstanding Environmental Contribution. The company also walked away with the award for the Best Mobile Internet Service for the Nokia Sports Tracker.

Accepting the Environmental Award Nokia’s CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said, “It is an honor to accept this on behalf of the thousands of Nokia people who have made sustainable, environmentally sensitive practices an integral part of our day to day business. With more than a billion people using Nokia phones globally, we feel we have a responsibility to make a difference.” He added, “Environmental sustainability is not just the right thing to do, it is the only thing to do. I have long maintained that doing the right thing for the environment also makes good business sense.”

In the category of Best Mobile Internet Service, Nokia Sports Tracker beat a tough group of competitors to take the award. The free application, first launched in July 2008 and downloaded more than 2.5 million times to date, monitors exercise and tracks fitness levels, and makes the information available to share with friends and training partners.

Nokia global environmental program was awarded as the best in the industry due to its global scale and commitment. The company set up its first recycling scheme for old or unwanted mobile devices in 1997 and today has the industry’s largest voluntary scheme operating in 85 countries around the world.

The GSMA also highlighted Nokia’s commitment to considering the environment across its entire product range. The company has deployed range of environmental elements in its devices including reducing charger no load energy consumption by 90% adding alerts to remind people to unplug their chargers once the battery is full, making up to 80% of any Nokia device recyclable, and phasing out the use of materials like PVC.

Nokia’s commitment to working with suppliers, operator, and other manufacturers to reduce the industry’s overall footprint was praised by the GSMA.

Last year Nokia led the development of an industry wide energy ranking for chargers helping consumers to choose the most efficient chargers and encouraging the industry as a whole to further increase energy efficiency.

Nokia Siemens Networks was highlighted for its industry contribution in making energy efficient base stations that reduce site level power consumption by up to 70 percent, enabling a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of mobile operators around the world.