Google LLC says by the start of 2022, 100 percent of “Made by Google products” will include recycled materials.
The move is part of the tech giant’s sustainability commitments.
“We’re always working to do more, faster,” said Anna Meegan, head of sustainability, consumer hardware. “But today we’re laying the foundation for what we believe will be a way of doing business that commits to building better products better.”
Google commitments
- By 2020, 100 percent of all shipments going to or from customers will be carbon neutral
- Starting in 2022, 100 percent of Made by Google products will include recycled materials with a drive to maximize recycled content wherever possible.
- Google will make technology that “puts people first” and expands access to the benefits of technology.
In 2018, Google began publishing its product environmental reports, which aim to help its customers understand exactly what its products are made of, how they’re built and how they get shipped.
From 2017 to 2018, its carbon emissions for product shipments decreased by 40 percent.
It’s an ongoing endeavor that involves designing in sustainability from the start and embedding it into the entire product development process and across our operations
It has also launched its Power Project, which aims to bring one million energy- and money-saving Nest thermostats to families in need by 2023. The firm built much of its Nest product portfolio with post-consumer recycled plastic, it says.
Anna Meegan said: “Most of us can’t get through the day without a phone, tablet, computer or smart speaker. My team at Google understands this well—we’ve been making consumer hardware (like Pixel phones and Google Home Minis) for just over three years now.
“But building these devices and getting them into the hands of our customers takes a lot of resources, and disposing of our old electronics can create significant waste.
“My job is to integrate sustainability into our products, operations and communities—making it not just an aspect of how we do business, but the centerpiece of it.
“It’s an ongoing endeavor that involves designing in sustainability from the start and embedding it into the entire product development process and across our operations, all while creating the products our customers want.”