Google recently announced that it has achieved one of its goals of using recycled materials in all of its “Made by Google” products. The company had pledged to achieve the goal by 2022 but announced that they have achieved it early, as reported by the Verge. It does not discount the fact that its products are made not entirely of recycled materials, but they at least include recycled materials somewhere in the product.

Google announced that its latest range of Pixel and Nest products, which are ahead of schedule, use recycled material. This is part of its aim to include recycled materials in all of its “Made by Google” products including Pixel phones, Pixel books, Google Home speakers, Nest devices, and accessories like phone cases and charging stands by 2022.

The back cover of the Pixel 5 is made with 100 percent recycled aluminum, and the new Nest Audio has 70 per cent recycled plastic, with the sustainable fabric cover it introduced with the Nest Mini last year. And on the newest Nest Thermostat, the trim plate, the part that attaches to the wall is made from post-consumer recycled plastic, as informed by Google.

The company had said in September it would run its operations carbon-free by 2030 and that it had purchased enough carbon offsets to cancel out the company’s carbon dioxide emissions since its founding in 1998. And starting yesterday, November 2, it continues to keep “all shipping of Made by Google” hardware to and from direct customers 100 percent carbon neutral.

Bourne, Google’s Sustainability Systems Architect, in a blog post had stated that, “Google’s focus on incorporating recycled materials in our hardware design not only supports our sustainability commitments but also enables our supply chain partners to confidently invest in and develop these types of materials so that the wider consumer electronics industry can use them too.” He had also noted that Google aims to make its product packaging 100 percent plastic-free and 100 percent recyclable by 2025.

He further added, “To get us there, we need to uncover alternative, recyclable materials that will still protect our products. It will take partnering with our suppliers, tinkering in the lab and sharing learnings across the industry, but we will get there.”

Google, as reported by the Verge has also said about working toward achieving zero-waste-to-landfill certification at all of its final assembly manufacturing sites by 2022, meaning that the majority of waste from those operations will be recycled.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness.