The Cop27 Light Bulb Moment List #1
We’ve all had them. Flashes of inspiration that the solution to a problem is staring us in the face. In this series, we look at some of the best eco innovations being showcased by the Saudi Green Initiative at Cop27 that promise to shine brightly. First up, the ocean plastic mouse
#1 The Ocean Plastic Mouse
Developed by Microsoft and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), a global leader in the chemical industry.
The problem: how to make ocean plastic a recycling effort, not just a clean-up
The light bulb moment: the introduction of Microsoft’s first consumer electronic product to be partially made of recycled ocean plastic.
What happened next?
Every year, around eight million tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans. That’s equivalent to two Empire State Buildings full of plastic every month — and this figure is set to treble by 2028.
But, reusing and recycling plastic recovered from the sea, as well as ocean-bound plastic collected from waterways and beaches, is complex.
As SABIC’s Abdullah Al-Otaibi explains, “Due to exposure to sunlight and water, the plastic loses many of its original properties.” Rendered brittle, fragmented and discolored, makes ocean plastics largely unusable for recycling and hence, most items will not make it to the recycling plant but are stored in warehouses or incinerated.
SABIC perfected blending ocean-plastic waste pellets with other materials to constitute a resin to create Microsoft’s Ocean Plastic Mouse, with a shell made of 20 percent recycled ocean plastic.
What’s the environmental impact? For every 1,000 tonnes of a product containing 20% recycled ocean-plastic, an equivalent of 24 million single-use plastic 0.5 liter water bottles is removed from the ocean. And with over 1.4 billionactive devices running Windows 10 or 11, the Ocean Plastic Mouse could prove to be the small gadget with a very big future. The mouse is now available from Amazon. In recycled packaging, of course.
What’s next? This could be the first Microsoft product of many to look at using recycled ocean plastic. As Abdullah Al-Otaibi explains, “Our collaboration with Microsoft represents an exciting development in recycling ocean plastic to create high-quality consumer electronic products, while also playing a role in cleaning up the world’s oceans.”
Find out more about the MGI summit and SGI forum here: greeninitiatives.gov.sa