Kobo is getting set to release a new ereader on September 1st called the Kobo Clara 2E, and so far one detail that keeps coming up over and over again is the fact that it’s partially made from recycled plastic, including ocean-bound plastics, as Kobo is keen to point out.
So far the fact that the Kobo Clara 2E is made from recycled plastic seems to be the main focus of Kobo’s marketing material with this new model. It also has a newer Carta 1200 screen with better contrast, a USB-C port, and it comes with more storage space since they’re adding audiobook support. But other than that it seems to be basically the same as before, so this gives them something new to boast about.
Yesterday Kobo posted on their Twitter account about an announcement on September 1st, which will undoubtedly be the unveiling of the Kobo Clara 2E, and the tweet contained this sentence: “Waste isn’t waste if it isn’t wasted…”
Sorry if I can’t hold back an eye roll, but so far all of Kobo’s marketing seems to be going down this path. Some early product listings have already turned up and in the first sentence for the description Kobo is bragging about how the Clara 2E is made from recycled plastic and how it’s an environmentally conscious ereader.
It all comes across as a bit disingenuous considering none of Kobo’s other devices make use of recycled materials. They act like they’re saving the world and they keep patting themselves on the back for it, but what about their other devices?
It makes it seem like they’re just trying to pander to the phoney do-gooding social media crowd. But does anyone really care? Is anyone really basing their purchase decisions on if something is made from recycled materials or not?
The current Kindle Paperwhite is also made from recycled plastics and magnesium, but unlike Kobo, Amazon isn’t making a huge deal out it and revolving their marketing material around it; there’s just a small section at the bottom of the product page saying it’s partially made from recycled materials.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to see companies using recycled materials on new products whenever possible, but when that starts to become the main focus of their marketing spiel it comes across as inauthentic, especially when none of their other devices are made from recycled materials.
This is the last you’ll hear me mention the Kobo Clara 2E and “recycled” in the same post. If Kobo wants to make a big deal out of it that’s their propagative, but I’d rather focus on the actual reading experience and the features that relate to that. If Kobo wants to start down this road and keep bragging about it along the way then I think all of their ereaders should be made with recycled materials, not just one of them.
I believe we should be recycling everything possible and stop the pollution as much as possible. I am almost 75 and have seen the destruction that plastic has caused. We should all be recycling and doing our part. I don’t believe this way when I was younger, but seeing firsthand what plastics and our throwaway products have done to this world, the animals and the earth in general it is a crime.
I think recycling should be utilized a lot more than it currently is too. Where I live they’ve completely disincentivized the recycling process. For example, if you want to recycle cardboard they make you remove all the labels and tape before they’ll accept it, and then on top of that you have to pay them to take the cardboard. You have to do all the extra work and then pay some company to take a free resource that they can then sell for a profit. It’s totally ridiculous.
I intend to get the Clara 2E when it is released but I already own or have owned a few Kobos and I also have a Kindle. Recycled plastic content would not sway me to buy an ereader, I would only consider it a bonus!
Well, it would be better if they didn’t use plastic for the casing at all in the first place. Obviously it can be done as Kindle Oasis is made of aluminum and glass. No plastic is always much better than recycled plastic 🙂
I suppose it is a start. Have to start somewhere. They start with this product, then move to the next, and so forth. The biggest problem is getting clean waste, which is why I think we don’t see more products made with recycled material. The collection of material to recycle is really complicated and expensive to do. Products are not manufactured to be recycled. Not even water bottles. To recycle them you have to remove both the lid and the ring around the neck as those are made form a completely different plastic. I guess it is bad when you mix plastics. And they have to be cleaned before you place them in the recycle bin. As you said, why not also include their other line of devices all at the same time? It is not like they have to redesign them nor change the manufacturing method other than somehow mix recycle plastic into the mix.
The latest Paperwhite is also much sturdier than the latest Libra 2. I get that Kobo likes a design that they can easily service, but the creaks are off putting. On a positive though, I found two small scratches on the edge of my Libra 2 that seem to have smoothed away to nothing. Perhaps it’s self healing?
Now that we know Amazon and Kobo can make their ereaders with recycled plastic, they should just make it par for the course. Kobo is just doing a little boasting right now because I guess it’s their first time. What would really annoy me is if they don’t shut up about it with the next one and if they hike up the price to make it even more unaffordable than it already is.
Lou Sevens here= seems many things I have are made of recycled plastic. Dress pants for work, carpeting I have and a potential HP printer I am looking at. Some of the items are said to be lighter.
It could be a good thing.