Electronics brand owner HP unveiled a device made with post-consumer plastics, including PET that was at risk of entering the marine environment.
The company recently introduced the HP Elite Dragonfly, a computer with recycled plastic components throughout. By weight, over 82% of mechanical components are made of recycled materials, including recycled PC/ABS, ABS and PET, as well as the metal magnesium.
Mechanical components include the chassis, speaker box, keycap mechanism, battery frame and other small parts, according to the press release.
The notebook’s speaker enclosure is made with 5% ocean-bound plastic.
Ellen Jackowski, global head of Sustainability Strategy & Innovation at HP, told Plastics Recycling Update the company works with a number of reclaimers that source plastics from used electronics and appliances.
Last year, electronics recycling company Sims Recycling Solutions disclosed it invested in a system in Tennessee to sort and clean recovered e-plastics for use by HP. The e-plastics are then shipped to Montreal-based reclaimer Lavergne Group, which processes and supplies them to HP.
Last year, Jackowski talked with Plastics Recycling Update about how the company is also supporting an ocean plastics supply chain that begins in the Caribbean. Haitians collect PET scrap for a company called Environmental Cleaning Solutions (ECSSA), which sorts and shreds PET in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The plastic is then sent to a wash line funded by HP. Flakes are then compounded by Lavergne.
When asked which technologies have been used to overcome limitations in recycled plastic for use in a high-end application, Jackowski noted “there has been advancements over the past 2-3 years in shredding, cleaning, separating, additives, and material science that have improved the performance and reduced the cost of post-consumer recycled resins. Especially advancements in plastic separation technology has enabled cleaner and higher yield recycled source material.”
