Made from 85% recycled plastic, FWIW.
Creating a new tech product made from recycled materials won’t solve the massive plastic pollution crisis (and it certainly won’t solve the e-waste problem), but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
Toronto, Canada-based digital book retailer Kobo is launching a new waterproof e-reader, the Kobo Clara 2E, which could give Amazon’s Kindle e-readers a hard time. According to the company, the device’s exterior is made of more than 85% recycled plastic (10% of which is presumably destined for oceans). With up to 12 million tons of plastic(Opens in a new tab) Being washed up in the oceans every year, we’d love to see more tech companies take an interest in it, as sustainable design startups are already doing.
The Kobo Clara 2E is set to launch on September 22 through the Kobo website(Opens in a new tab), comes with Bluetooth for audiobooks, 60-minute water resistance in up to 2 meters of water, more storage space for e-books than previous Kobo models (16 GB), 6-inch glare-free HD E Ink Carta 1200 display with dark mode, blue light reduction and weeks of battery life. They will retail for $150.00 (£129.99) each, which is cheaper than the company’s previous Forma model but more expensive than its own Nia.
In addition to the exterior, Kobo’s sleep tops are made with recycled polyester and a microfiber inner lining made from 40% recycled plastic water bottles. .
“We believe that every small, thoughtful, deliberate action can have a huge impact,” Michael Tamblyn, CEO of Rakuten Kobo, said in a press release. “So we started incorporating recycled materials into the device, accessories, and packaging to complement the features that book lovers love.”
Using recycled plastic is a good move for the company to rethink its impact on the environment, especially for those that make consumer products. You can make all kinds of things out of recycled plastic: Lego blocks, roads, and sailboats. Amazon says(Opens in a new tab) Kindle, Echo, Fire TV, Fire Tablet and smart home devices” include up to 60% recycled molded plastic, 100% recycled fabrics, 100% recycled aluminum and up to 70% recycled magnesium, depending on on the product.”
However, that’s not all — be sure to take a look at what this company is doing to reduce emissions from other items like deliveries and packaging (including single-use plastics) to get started, not to mention which of its other products aren’t. t using recycled plastic.
In a press release, Rakuten-owned Kobo said its latest packaging is “magnet-free, made from FSC-certified recycled paper and printed with soy ink.” The company also said it plans to divert more than 200,000 plastic bottles from the ocean over the course of a year, as well as remove more than 1 million CDs and DVDs from landfills. Kobo recently pledged to offset 100% of its carbon emissions(Opens in a new tab) delivering its e-readers (the income will go to the Great Bear Forest Carbon Project), (Opens in a new tab)But hopefully by now we all know that carbon offsets come with their own BS levels – companies shouldn’t just rely on them to reduce emissions.
Do not misunderstand me. I don’t blame Kobo for using or promoting recycled plastic in product marketing—in fact, it’s a fascinating, if not crucial, thing to find innovative ways to reuse the world’s plastic. The rate at which microplastics are entering our oceans. I’m just saying it’s nice to hear more about what other companies are doing to commit to cutting emissions and help address the environmental crisis facing our planet, and Kobo seems to be starting out less.
