Microsoft unveils new wireless mouse made out of recycled ocean plastic

Dimapur, September 22 (EMN): Microsoft has unveiled its latest wireless mouse at its fall Surface event today and it is not like any other Microsoft mouse. Focussing on recycling and sustainability, the new wireless mouse is made out of 20 per cent recycled ocean plastic and its packaging is 100 per cent recyclable.

No wonder Microsoft has named it the Ocean Plastic Mouse.

Microsoft says that the shell is made with 20 per cent recycled ocean plastic, which is plastic waste recovered from various waterways and processed into recyclable plastic resin pellets. These pellets are then blended with other materials to produce the shell of the mouse.

The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse comes in a completely recyclable box made from wood and sugarcane fibres. The company says that it does not use any plastic to make the packaging box.

It may be mentioned that in August of 2020, Microsoft pledged that it will focus on achieving ‘zero waste’ in its operations by 2030 and eliminate the use of single-use plastics in its packaging by 2025.

“By 2030, we will divert at least 90 per cent of the solid waste headed to landfills and incineration from our campuses and data centres, manufacture 100 per cent recyclable Surface devices, use 100 per cent recyclable packaging (in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, countries), and achieve, at a minimum, 75 per cent diversion of construction and demolition waste for all projects,” wrote Microsoft on its blog post.

Microsoft says the Ocean Plastic Mouse is a “breakthrough in materials technology and marks a small step forward in Microsoft’s sustainability journey.”

The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse supports Bluetooth 4.0 at a range of up to 33 feet and sports three customisable buttons. It also has support for Swift Pair technology and the company claims that it will run for 12 months on a single AA battery. The mouse is compatible with devices running Windows 11 Home/Pro or Windows 10/8.1, however, devices running Windows 10/11 in S mode will not be able to use the button customisation feature.

In line with its sustainability goals, Microsoft is also offering a free mail-in program in select markets where users can send in their old mouse for free and Microsoft will recycle it.

The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse costs USD 25 (approximately INR 1,844) and will ship on October 5, the same day Microsoft will release Windows 11.