Google will use only recycled materials in all its hardware by 2020
Google promised to incorporate recycled materials into all its Made By Google products by 2022. Currently, the portfolio involves hardware such as Pixel phones, Pixelbooks, Google Home speakers, Nest, and accessories such as phone cases and charging stands.
Google said it had started using recycled plastic in Chromecast devices in an interview with Fast Company and used plastic bottles to make the fabric on Google Homes and cases. The move follows the green initiative of Apple to use recycled materials in its products, with the company going so far as to make an in-house robot disassembling old parts hardware. Samsung also announced a comparable commitment earlier this year, promising to use sustainable materials in its product packaging.
In addition to using recycled materials, Google also said it would neutralize all its carbon deliveries by 2020 in order to encourage sustainability in its hardware division. Anna Meegan, head of hardware sustainability at Google in an interview with Fast Company, said the team was able to decrease emissions by 40% by moving from air shipments to cargo. (The paper is uncertain about the period during which the decrease took place.) That task implies that the team needs to better predict its development and manufacturing cycle as cargo shipments take longer than air shipments.
If you want to participate, Google currently has a partnership recycling program that will provide you with a shipping label to send devices that you no longer need to Google. Currently the program is limited to the US.