Google Pledges To Use Recycled Materials In All Hardware Products By 2022

Sustainability and being green is a big deal for many major technology firms. The need to be green impacts a variety of processes and operations for most tech firms, from green energy use for factories and offices to the use of recycled materials and fewer chemicals in production processes. Google pledged this week that it will start to include recycled materials in all its Made By Google products.

Google says that it intends to achieve the goal of using recycled materials in all its hardware products over the next three years. Google's Anna Meegan, head of sustainability for Google consumer hardware, has talked about several targets that Google wants to hit by 2022, including every Google hardware product using recycled materials.

Other efforts that Meegan talked about include that 100% of Google shipments going to consumers by 2020 will be carbon neutral. She also talked about the search giant pledging to make technology "that puts people first and expands access to the benefits of technology."

Google started to publish product environmental reports to help everyone understand what Google products are made of, how they are built, and how they are shipped in 2018. She notes that from 2017 to 2018, carbon emissions for product shipments decreased by 40%. She also mentioned that Google launched Power Project that will bring 1 million Nest thermostats to families in need by 2023 to help to reduce energy consumption and save money for those families.

Meegan notes that "much" of the Nest product portfolio uses post-consumer recycled plastic. Google isn't alone in pledging to be greener with its products; both Samsung and Apple have made similar pledges. Google has a big discount for its Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones going this week via the Google Store. Both of those devices are discounted by $300 while supplies last.