Tech makers raise green game to meet looming regulatory targets

Products being made with more recycled materials amid push to overhaul manufacturing

- Osmond Chia

Technology manufacturers are in a  race against time to meet regulatory requirements and sustainability goals.

The pressure to overhaul manufacturing, which is estimated to produce a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions, has resulted in more recycled materials being used in consumer tech products.

Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are a common sight among office staff here, and the firm’s sustainabilityfocused devices released in 2022 the ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 are a break from ThinkPads typically built with black plastic.

The devices’ metal chassis are forged with 75 per cent recycled aluminium new in Lenovo’s product line. They are lined with vegan leather, made mostly of recycled plastic. Their power adapters are made mostly of recycled plastic, and the packaging is made completely from renewable bamboo and sugarcane fibres.

The two laptop models are the manufacturer’s first steps to overhauling its computer line-up, which will use only recycled content by 2026, said Lenovo general manager Nigel Lee.

The firm has also launched a laptop exchange service to collect used Lenovo laptops for recycling to create a sustainable product cycle, said Mr Lee.

These sustainability efforts come as industry regulations loom to crack down on the more than 60,000 tonnes of electronic waste generated in Singapore each year, according to statistics by the National Environment Agency.

Mr Lee cited the Resource Sustainability Act, which pins the responsibility on producers to collect and treat their products when these reach their end of life.

Under the Act, producers are required to handle e-waste from the products and extract valuable resources from them.