Computer mouse uses 20% recycled ocean plastic.
As part of a new effort to advance the use of recycled ocean plastic, Sabic and Microsoft collaborate to create Microsoft’s first consumer electronic product – the Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse – with an exterior shell containing 20% recycled ocean plastic, according to Sabic.
Ocean plastic is defined as plastic that has been certified by a third party as recovered from any ocean or ocean-feeding waterways or where it washed ashore from these locations. Ocean plastic differs from ocean-bound plastic in that ocean-bound plastic is recovered from ocean-feeding waterways, shorelines, and inland areas within a 50-kilometer radius of the ocean. The two recycled products play complementary roles in helping address the issue of ocean plastic waste.
Microsoft began this project with an objective of creating a plastic resin made from at least 10% recycled ocean plastic as part of its commitment to achieve zero waste by 2030. After hearing the initial vision for the project, Sabic says it joined the effort to source the recycled material and to formulate a resin that satisfied Microsoft’s demanding quality standards. The Microsoft design team collaborated with technologists at Sabic to provide feedback on prototypes made with the new resin. The effort resulted in several rounds of reformulation prior to arriving at a final version that exceeded Microsoft’s initial 10% goal. The final product contains 20% recycled ocean plastic by weight in its external casing or shell.
The Sabic-Microsoft collaboration envisions Sabic providing a new Xenoy resin for Microsoft product use that is comprised of 20% ocean plastic, as part of Sabic’s Trucircle portfolio and services. This new Xenoy resin with recycled ocean plastic can help reduce plastic waste in the ocean, according to Sabic. Based on a resin grade comprised of 20% recycled content, for every 1kT of product containing recycled ocean-plastic Xenoy PC/PET compound, an equivalent of 24 million single-use 0.5liter PETwater bottles is reportedly removed from the ocean, ocean-feeding waterways or ocean-adjacent shores.
Abdullah Al-Otaibi, ETP and market solution general manager at Sabic says, “Sabic faced a unique challenge in overcoming the degradation of ocean plastic to create this innovative solution - due to exposure to sunlight and water, the plastic loses many of its original properties. Our collaboration with Microsoft represents an exciting development in recycling and reusing ocean plastic to create high-quality consumer electronic products that meet Microsoft’s high-performance expectations, while also playing a role in cleaning up the world’s oceans.”
Frank Kuijpers, general manager corporate sustainability at Sabic adds, “By creating more sustainable materials and forging new collaborations, we are setting an example for the industry in how we can transform difficult-to-recycle materials such as ocean plastic into innovative products that can meet the high-quality demands of our customers."
For more information, visit: www.sabic.com
