Microsoft has launched a new mouse that is focusing on recycling and sustainability instead of innovative scroll wheel controls or high-precision DPI.
The Microsoft’s Ocean Plastic Mouse is notable because it has a shell made of 20 percent recycled ocean plastic and packaging that is 100 percent recyclable. The plastic shell uses resin with recycled material “made from plastic waste that is recovered from oceans and waterways.”
The plastic waste gets turned into pellets, and eventually, those are blended in with the other materials that make up the shell of this mouse. Even the small box in which this mouse is packed, is made up of recyclable wood and sugarcane fibers.
Microsoft also mentions a free mail-in program so people can send their old mouse for recycling.
To create the resin used in the Ocean Plastic Mouse’s shell, Microsoft teamed up with Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), which is a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco.
Big Oil’s involvement in an “eco-friendly” product gives more than a whiff of greenwashing, but it’s surprising as the petrochemical industry responds to the EV shift by increasing its focus on plastics.
The Ocean Plastic Mouse is available for preorder starting today at a price of $24.99, featuring Bluetooth Low Energy wireless and Swift Pair connection.
It promises up to 12 months of battery life from just one AA battery that can be replaced or recharged without trashing the entire thing.
It will be available starting on October 5th in the US.
Reference- Microsoft Online Newsroom, The Verge, Vox,