As we look to the future, sustainability is becoming increasingly important. However, it is becoming just as clear that consumers are the key to guiding our world to a more regenerative future.
Producers are answering the call by innovating materials that are not only eco-friendly and functional but also actively help to decarbonize consumption.
Cutting-edge technology combined with recycled materials is now producing tech products that are durable, eco-friendly, and consumer-friendly. Enter post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) materials: an innovative method of combining sustainable practices with modern technology to create safer consumer goods alternatives with a lighter carbon footprint.
Is Plastic Really That Bad?
Plastic polymers have become essential components of electronic products because they’re durable, lightweight, and cost-effective.
Although they offer numerous practical benefits, the planet is paying. Virgin plastics originate as petroleum-based fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gasses from the cradle to the grave. With policies that continue to foster plastics production, the sector’s fossil fuel consumption and ensuring greenhouse emissions will only increase.
According to the World Economic Forum, 4-8% of annual global oil consumption is associated with plastic production. If this reliance on single-use plastics persists, this will escalate to 20% of all oil consumption by 2050.
Research implies that responsible production- including the use of post-consumer recycled plastic - reduced consumption, reuse, and recovery of materials without sending them straight to incineration or landfill – is the best path to reduce global emissions.
However, getting there will require a huge shift in a “business as usual tech industry” and a makeover for each step in a product’s life cycle.
The PCR Solution
The likelihood that plastic production will cease completely, even with burgeoning manufacturing restrictions and the rising demand for environmental transparency, is slim. Plastic has shown itself to be an unbeatable material in terms of functionality and cost.
However, diverting and reclaiming post-consumer plastic destined for the waste stream can significantly impact how technology like power banks, chargers, and smartphones are produced. Not only does the process of creating PCR make good reuse of a durable material, but it also takes potential greenhouse gases related to its breakdown in landfills out of the atmosphere.
PCR is a now and next solution for leading a sustainable revolution of the tech industry.
How Is PCR Material Made?
Every day recycled materials such as plastic water bottles, milk jugs, buckets, and industrial products like IBC totes are melted down and reconstructed to make a resin material that’s then added to create pellets of PCR material.
The pellets are then batched in tons and sold to tech manufacturers to make consumer goods.
In contrast, virgin plastic is a new resin produced using natural non-renewable natural resources like gas or crude oil.
The Carbon Footprint of PCR
Simply put, recycled plastic has a smaller carbon footprint than traditional plastic.
The truth is that less than 6% of plastic waste is recycled annually, with the remaining 94% disposed of in landfills, burned in incinerators, or destined to pollute our oceans and waterways.
Recycled plastic allows the natural resources that were used to make the material to stay in the circular economy and to go on to be made into new products. In addition, this methodology reduces the water, energy, and logistics footprint that would otherwise go into making virgin plastic.
Photo: Green Pursuit’s Magsafe Power Bank with Stand
What Are The Benefits of Purchasing a Product Made of PCR?
There are a wealth of benefits to purchasing products that employ post-consumer recycled plastics. Not the least of which is reducing your own carbon footprint as a consumer and voting with your dollars for companies that are willfully innovating for the better good of the planet.
Supporting tech products that employ recycled materials:
- Diverts plastic from landfills.
- Shrinks both the producer's and the consumer's carbon footprint - virgin plastics produce nearly 900 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. (Source: The Association of Plastic Recyclers)
- Reduces the need to create new plastics from non-renewable resources like petroleum.
- Limits the impact of plastics on the environment.
- Lowers the number of natural resources like energy and water needed to produce new plastics.
- Provides valuable feedback to corporations that, as a consumer, you value their efforts.
Becoming A Conscious Consumer Is Easier Than Ever
Green Pursuit has the latest and greatest sustainable technologies that can help you reduce your environmental impact while not sacrificing function or quality. We make planet-forward products so you can feel good about using them.