14 DAY TRIAL // Following the March 2010 statement in which it revealed plans to slim down their accessory packaging, AT&T now comes to announce plans of using plant plastic in that packaging.
Customers will get to see the new plastic, set to be used in packaging for AT&T-branded wireless accessories, which includes most device cases and power accessories, starting from October 2, 2011.
The new accessory packaging uses up to 30 percent plant-based materials sourced from ethanol harvested from natural sugarcane. The sugarcane used in this plant plastic is reportedly a rapidly renewable agricultural crop and replaces nearly a third of the fossil fuels traditionally used in this accessory packaging with material made from plants.
“As a company we are committed to minimizing our own environmental impact, and we see the introduction of this plant-based plastic as an important step in the right direction,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president for devices, AT&T. “We are excited to be the first U.S. telecom company to use this plastic in our packaging and we hope other companies will join us in finding ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. We are actively working with our accessory suppliers to incorporate both less packaging and more sustainable plastic and paper.”
This is not AT&T’s first attempt of reducing waste and minimize the overall environmental impact of accessory packaging, as the company has so far used soy and/or vegetable-based ink and recycled paperboard.
Last year AT&T made several improvements to the accessory packaging, For example, the packaging for batteries and data cables transitioned from plastic “clam shell”-style to small, recyclable paper boxes, while the packaging for protective phone cases and car chargers changed to slimmer packaging.
With this improvements, the telecommunications corporation managed to save over 500 tons of paper and plastic with it in 2010 and 2011.