Logitech will now manufacture its video collaboration devices on the CollabOS operating system with post-consumer recycled plastics, supporting its users as they work to meet various sustainability objectives.
The company said it will incorporate a minimum of 50% certified recycled plastic, or what Logitech calls "new-life plastic," into its conference room products, allowing for a 21% reduction in overall carbon footprint. Video conferencing products will also feature low-carbon aluminum made by using renewable energy, packaging from FSC-certified forests, power-saving modes, and more. The company’s Logitech Select service plan also includes a collect-and-recycle program for old video conferencing equipment.
Logitech has applied its sustainability principles to its video conferencing portfolio after doing so for many of its other products, such as webcams, headsets, and keyboards. Through these objectives, the company aims to assess environmental impacts along its entire value chain, from material and design choices to end-of-life recycling of products.
According to the company, its plastic recycling efforts have eliminated the need for about 8,000 tons of virgin plastic, amounting to about 19,000 tons of avoided carbon emissions. Achieving a 21% decrease in Scope 3 emissions in 2022, Logitech said, it aims to remove more carbon than it creates by 2030.
Logitech reflects a growing trend within the electronics industry towards minimizing e-waste and turning to circular business models as a pathway to growth. A recent report from ABB indicates that 92% of companies across a wide range of industries face resource scarcity, and many are planning to adopt more circular operations, using recycled and reused materials to fill the gaps.
Earlier this month, the Consumer Technology Association, founded by Lenovo, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony Electronics, launched an initiative to reduce waste from electronics and their packaging. E-waste alone is valued at over $62.5 billion by the United Nations, and these companies, among others, are working to implement trade-in programs and refurbishment to profit from the industry's massive waste issue while also meeting sustainability targets.
“By transitioning our portfolio of conference room devices to a lower product carbon footprint, we are helping other companies navigate their sustainability challenges,” said Prakash Arunkundrum, COO at Logitech. “We’re not only designing and manufacturing new products with recycled plastic and other lower-carbon materials, but refreshing existing products to provide IT leaders with a new way to evaluate their workplace technology investment in conference room systems - one that includes people and planet."
