Microsoft partners with SABIC to develop marine plastic mouse

At its Surface event on September 22, Microsoft introduced the first consumer electronics product to use recycled ocean plastic: the Ocean Plastic Mouse
.

The shell of the new mouse is made from 20% recycled ocean plastic, which represents a focus on sustainability and the need to change the way materials are sourced rather than technological innovation
.
It's also a step the company is taking to meet its August 2020 commitment to achieve zero-waste operations by 2030 and eliminate single-use plastic from packaging by 2025
.

The resin used to make the new mouse casing was developed in partnership with Saudi Arabian chemical giant SABIC
.
PC/PETXenoy compounds based on recycled ocean plastic must meet Microsoft's required specifications and stringent quality standards
.

Ocean plastic refers to third-party certified plastic recovered from any ocean or marine recharge waterway, and plastic washed ashore from these locations
.

According to Mahari Tjahjadi, global director of electrical and electronics at SABIC, and Frank Kuijpers, general manager of corporate sustainability, the source of ocean plastics is currently the partner SABIC works with in Asia
.
"The ocean plastic mouse is mechanically recyclable, and we are exploring other Trucircle solutions with them," Tjahjadi said
.

"Using the formulation of ocean plastics has proven to be a challenge
.
Due to exposure to sunlight and water, plastics lose many of their original properties, so a key factor here is consistency
," he added
.
Microsoft started the project with the goal of creating a plastic resin made from at least 10 percent recycled ocean plastic
.
After several rounds of reformulation, the final version was achieved
.

“We have to make sure that the variance between batches is still within our capabilities to be able to use it in our formulation
.
Then we have to assess what the maximum percentage we can use in the formulation and have some confidence
.
In this case, it was 20%, which exceeded Microsoft's original goal
.
But all of this research needs to be done upfront before we can put it into some kind of specification," Kuijpers explained.
The first resin based on ocean plastic
.
” The final product – a computer mouse – now contains 20% recycled ocean plastic (by weight) in its casing
.
When asked if the casing is recyclable, Tjahjadi said that this particular blend of Xenoy resins is not yet on Microsoft's roadmap, although closed-loop ideas have also been proposed in other types of applications
.

The new Xenoy grade joins SABIC's Trucircle sustainable materials portfolio
.
The portfolio covers a range of products and services, including design for recyclability, mechanical recycling products, certified circular products for waste plastic feedstock recycling, certified renewable energy products for biological feedstocks, and closed-loop initiatives to recycle plastics back into high-quality applications
.

While this particular formula is reserved for new mice, Tjahjadi says there are other possibilities for applications within the formula's design space
.

Twenty percent of the ocean plastic content in the formulation is PET, he said: for every 1,000 tons of product produced containing the Xenoy PC/PET compound of recycled ocean plastic, the equivalent of 2,400 tons is removed from the ocean, ocean recharge waterways, or the shores of adjacent oceans.
10,000 disposable 0.
5 liter PET water bottles
.

Both Kuijpers and Tjahjadi emphasized that the project opened a door
.
Currently, other projects are under discussion, although it will take time for these projects to mature
.

The project also provides a blueprint to demonstrate to the wider industry sector that recycling and reuse of plastic waste recovered from the ocean, marine recharge waterways or coastlines is achievable through good collaboration between value chain partners
.

The Ocean Plastic Mouse is available for pre-order in the U.
S.
and Canada starting September 22, 2021, and will be available in most markets worldwide on October 10, 2021
.