Google says all its Pixel and Nest products now use recycled material

Google also aims to make its product packaging plastic-free by 2025.

Google Nest Audio smart speaker. (Robin Sinha/HT Tech)

Google has announced that all its new Pixel and Nest products launched this year are designed with recycled material. Google also pledged its new goal of using recycled or renewable material in at least 50% of all plastic used in its hardware products by 2025.

Google recently launched the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a smartphones. For the Pixel 5, Google has used 100% recycled aluminum on the rear panel. This makes the Pixel 5 Google's first phone to use recycled aluminum. On the latest Nest Audio smart speaker, Google in a blog post said, it used 70% recycled plastic covering its enclosure parts which include the acoustic fabric. This is the same sustainable fabric Google used on last year's Nest Mini. Google also launched the Nest Thermostat recently, and this one's trim plate has been made with 75% post-consumer recycled plastic.

Google aims to reduce waste as well with its new commitment of achieving UL 2799 zero waste to landfill certification at all its manufacturing sites by 2022. Another commitment Google has made is to go plastic-free on all its product packaging by 2025. The product packaging will also be 100% recyclable.

“To get us there, we need to uncover alternative, recyclable materials that will still protect our products. It'll take partnering with our suppliers, tinkering in the lab and sharing learnings across the industry, but we'll get there,” Google said in its blog post.

Apple recently made a change in its packaging by not including the charging brick and earbuds with its iPhones. The company's decision to do so was to help reduce carbon emissions, and reduce the mining and use of precious materials. Apple aims to have net zero climate impact across its entire business by 2030.