Gadgets by Cygnett, House of Marley, Dell, Nimble & Microsoft mitigate your carbon footprint
Bamboo speakers and battery packs made from recycled CDs, sustainability can take many forms in the technology sphere.
From recycled materials to solar power, sustainability can take many forms in the technology sphere. Here are some of our favourite products that help to mitigate your carbon footprint.
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Cygnett ChargeUp Explorer Power Bank
If you’re going camping, you can get some help from Mother Nature to keep your phone charged. Charging from the sun takes a little extra time, but you could lay out these solar panels on the top of your backpack so they’re fully juiced over several hours. Depending on the phone, the topped-up power bank has enough capacity for three phone charges. The power bank has two USB-A charging ports to handle up to two devices at a time; one could be a phone, the other might be a tablet, headphones, smartwatch or fitness band. It also comes with a two-year warranty. $100
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House of Marley Bag of Riddim Speaker & Earbuds
Portable design, smart materials and rich sound make this eco-friendly Bluetooth speaker a standout. Its faceplate and back are made from solid bamboo, a renewable natural resource, while the carry bag is a mix of reclaimed organic cotton, recycled hemp and recycled PET. The unit offers warm, balanced audio with 10 hours of playtime, picks up a wireless input source from up to 15 metres away and weighs just 2.95kg. The brand’s Rebel True Wireless Earbuds, also made of bamboo, offer eight hours of playtime from a single charge. The charging case delivers three additional charges. $300 (speaker), $199 (earbuds)
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Dell Latitude 7420 2-in-1 laptop
Few people would associate laptops with sustainability, but some brands are more environmentally friendly than others. They can be made with recyclable components, and batteries can sustain more recharging cycles before being discarded. The 7420 is among Dell products that have achieved TCO certification, which measures sustainability. TCO certification began with computer displays in the 1990s, but the standard is now up to generation eight, with broader specifications covering a wide range of tech devices. Dell is known for considering its impact at every stage in a product’s life cycle. The Dell 7420 is compatible with the new Microsoft Windows 11. From $2,155
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Nimble Champ Portable Chargers
Nimble’s charger series comprises units made from certified recycled plastic – in this case repurposed compact discs – and packaged in recycled paper cartons. The Champ 10K has a 10,000 mAH capacity, an LED fast-charge indicator and can trickle-charge small devices. The 20K version has twice the battery capacity and features 60-watt USB-C and 18-watt USB-A outputs. Other Nimble devices are equally inventive. Its PowerKnit cables are made from a certified recycled-plastic fabric knit, and recycled aluminium cable heads. The company has used recycled hemp for the exterior fabric wrap of an earlier charging line-up. All up, it’s a large range of charging options for when you’re on the go. $80-$149
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Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse
The Australian Marine Conservation Society says humanity dumps eight million tons of plastic into our oceans and waterways every year. Microsoft has retrieved some of that devastating waste for the shell of this mouse, made from 20 per cent recycled ocean plastic. The packaging, meanwhile, is composed of recyclable wood and sugarcane natural fibres. The mouse connects to your computer using Bluetooth Low Energy with a wireless range of 10 metres in open air, or five metres in an office environment. It has a single pre-installed AA alkaline battery that the company says will power the mouse for a year. $34.95