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CES 2023: Belkin Transitioning to More Environmentally Friendly Material for Chargers and Other Accessories

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Belkin, known for its accessories created for Apple devices, today announced plans to revamp its product lineup with more environmentally friendly materials. Several power banks, wireless chargers, and wall chargers will be updated with plastic-free packaging and will be constructed from 73 to 75 percent post-consumer recycled plastics (PCR).

belkin-pcr-update.jpg

The change will save approximately 7,000 metric tons of carbon emissions and will reduce CO2-eq emissions for included products by up to 67 percent. Belkin plans to update some of its most popular products first, including a selection of wall chargers.
  • BOOST↑CHARGE Magnetic Wireless Car Charger 10W
  • BOOST↑CHARGE USB-C PD 3.0 PPS Wall Charger 25W
  • BOOST↑CHARGE Dual USB-C PD Wall Charger 40W
  • BOOST↑CHARGE PRO 4-Port GaN Charger 108W
  • BOOST↑CHARGE PRO Dual USB-C(R) GaN Wall Charger with PPS 45W
  • BOOST↑CHARGE PRO Dual USB-C(R) GaN Wall Charger with PPS 65W
Belkin is making this change as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. The company is already set to become 100 percent carbon neutral in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2025, with today's update to PCR materials aimed at reducing scope 3 emissions.

The PCR that Belkin is using will remove plastic waste from landfills, and it will reduce Belkin's dependence on virgin plastics.
"When we think about the difference a company of our size and influence can make on the planet, moving away from using virgin plastics in our products is an obvious decision," said Steve Malony, CEO, Belkin. "I am proud to work alongside the teams that made this shared vision a reality. Their dedication to doing the right thing inspires me and together, we will continue to work towards a more sustainable future."
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MacRumors was able to see Belkin's new PCR products and there is virtually no difference between the updated accessories and the existing accessories, so consumers will not be able to tell what's changed by looking at the products themselves. Belkin will denote new PCR products with callouts on the packaging and product pages online.

belkin-pcr-comparison.jpg

Belkin will ship the new accessories throughout 2023, and the company has plans to expand the PCR material to additional devices going forward.

Article Link: CES 2023: Belkin Transitioning to More Environmentally Friendly Material for Chargers and Other Accessories
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/01/04/belkin-ces-2023-environmental-update/
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Reactions: dysamoria
No one has yet to make a true USB-C port hub. The EU pushing for usb-c the new problem is charging and powering everything. Not to mention forget about charging multiple devices at high speed
 
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Reactions: NightFlight
How about they just send you the electronics and let you 3D print the enclosure? /s

I know a lot of people are going to feel better about this, but in the grand scheme of things it's going to have little impact. The resources required to gather and recycle the plastic are as close to a net zero, if not negative as you can get. Plus recycled polymers are not as robust as new/virgin polymers. People are going to find this out the hard way.
 
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Reactions: cmcbhi, dysamoria, omnishambles and 6 others
nwcs said:
A good step. I think another good step would be to allow people (who pay their own postage) to send in old Belkin devices to be recycled by them (Or through a responsible partner).
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This is a good reminder that Apple will send you a free prepaid shipping label to recycle your old non-apple electronics, power cables and accessories. https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in (select other devices/recycle). Consider this if you have a older tech sitting around at home.
 
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FightTheFuture said:
This is a good reminder that Apple will send you a free prepaid shipping label to recycle your old non-apple electronics, power cables and accessories. https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in (select other devices/recycle). Consider this if you have a older tech sitting around at home.
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I'd like to know what Apple really does with the stuff they recycle. I recall an article I read last year about this non-profit had put GPS trackers inside old devices and recycled them with a "reputable" recycler. Most electronics recycling just got sent overseas and sat in a warehouse leaching chemicals into the air/ground.

www.pbs.org

Where does America's e-waste end up? GPS tracker tells all

Despite pledges to responsibly recycle old TVs and other unwanted electronics with toxic materials inside, an investigation tracks e-waste from the U.S. to unregulated scrapyards in Hong Kong.
www.pbs.org www.pbs.org
 
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Miss the days when Belkin gave you 50% off everything with code 12345 Bought plenty of stuff back in the day from them. Loved the wifi Skype phone (looked like a cellphone and allowed super cheap calling).
 
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Reactions: Razorpit
For environmental reasons they shouldn’t include the charger in the box like Apple. Done
 
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Nice! Belkin tends to use quality chips/components from TI and ST compared to what some Chinese brands use. They were the first to get made for MagSafe certification from apple.
 
assb10yr said:
It’s all a ruse to charge more for your products. Makes zero difference to the environment.
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It is probably net negative if they cost more since cost is probably positively correlated with total carbon/energy use if that’s the concern. Recycling plastic is reasonable but it’s energy intensive and so it’s a net cost not savings.
 
Razorpit said:
How about they just send you the electronics and let you 3D print the enclosure? /s

I know a lot of people are going to feel better about this, but in the grand scheme of things it's going to have little impact. The resources required to gather and recycle the plastic are as close to a net zero, if not negative as you can get. Plus recycled polymers are not as robust as new/virgin polymers. People are going to find this out the hard way.
Click to expand...

We’re all screwed when the sun explodes anyway. They’re just making sure we spend our remaining time using inferior products!
 
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surfzen21 said:
Being waste conscious is always a good thing. Even if the materials weren't as white, who cares.
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I’m not worried about colors not being uniform, but high regrind % (recycled plastics) in a good number of materials leads to reduced functionality. Break easier, aren’t as flame retardant as virgin material…. If the lifecycle drops cause of recycling what good is it?
 
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assb10yr said:
It’s all a ruse to charge more for your products. Makes zero difference to the environment.
Click to expand...

95% of recycling doesn’t work (especially plastics) and actually produces more greenhouse gases from all of the fuel and energy used to recycle in the first place.
 
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JMStearnsX2 said:
I'd like to know what Apple really does with the stuff they recycle. I recall an article I read last year about this non-profit had put GPS trackers inside old devices and recycled them with a "reputable" recycler. Most electronics recycling just got sent overseas and sat in a warehouse leaching chemicals into the air/ground.

www.pbs.org

Where does America's e-waste end up? GPS tracker tells all

Despite pledges to responsibly recycle old TVs and other unwanted electronics with toxic materials inside, an investigation tracks e-waste from the U.S. to unregulated scrapyards in Hong Kong.
www.pbs.org www.pbs.org
Click to expand...
Can you send an old PC Laptop in for free? And I think it's interesting you can choose to Recycle your Apple Card from the Other Devices
 
TAZ911 said:
I’m not worried about colors not being uniform, but high regrind % (recycled plastics) in a good number of materials leads to reduced functionality. Break easier, aren’t as flame retardant as virgin material…. If the lifecycle drops cause of recycling what good is it?
Click to expand...
What are you doing with your chargers that it needs to be a virgin and extra strong 🤣
 
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