Microsoft Makes Mouse out of Ocean Plastic, Claims Environmental Creds

[TheLostSwede]

We're all for recycling here at TPU and it's good to see that more and more big corporations are getting involved, but we can't help but feel that Microsoft is making bigger claims than it really is in this case. The company unveiled a new mouse at yesterday's Surface event called the Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse, however, the mouse is only made with 20 percent recycled plastic, although it does apparently come from plastic fished out of the oceans or other waterways. The issue here is that it only contains a tiny amount of recycled plastic, so it's hard to credit Microsoft for doing something real for the environment.

The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse looks tacky as well, especially the scroll wheel, which is not only extremely slim by the looks of it, but also looks fiddly to use. It's a very basic two button mouse, although the scroll wheel is apparently also clickable and it can be tilted for vertical scrolling. The mouse connects via Bluetooth and supports Bluetooth 4.0 and 5, as well as Microsoft Swift Pair technology. It has a claimed wireless range of up to 10 meters, although Microsoft put in a note that it's closer to five meters in an office environment. It runs off of a AA battery which is meant to be good for up to 12 months of usage. The packaging is made out of wood and sugarcane fiber and doesn't include any plastic. Microsoft will also accept your old mouse for recycling if you get one of these and will apparently even pay for the postage. The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse retails for $25.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Space Lynx]

Oh really M$? What factory did you have these made at? What power source did the energy for that factory come from? Cause lets face it... not many people going to use this. Unless you can get some big business on board to buy a boat load of them for everyone in the office, and it make it the new standard of that office building. I'd be fine with that.

My guess is though, most consumers will pass on this as they have different needs and this will be rotting on shelves, and it most likely wasted energy from a coal powered plant in China to make them at that point.

Hopefully I am wrong though and they do sell well.

 

[lexluthermiester]

That is one ugly mouse..

 

[Flanker]

Those batteries wouldn't be very environmentally friendly would they? I much prefer wired mice

 

[Space Lynx]

That is one ugly mouse..

Honestly I think it would look decent in a business office setup... but business offices use wired for a reason, those batteries wouldn't be worth the yearly cost in the end... which further reinforces my point... this is probably just coal power being wasted again as usual.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Those batteries wouldn't be very environmentally friendly would they? I much prefer wired mice

Agreed!

Honestly I think it would look decent in a business office setup... but business offices use wired for a reason, those batteries wouldn't be worth the yearly cost in the end... which further reinforces my point... this is probably just coal power being wasted again as usual.

Can't agree there. That thing looks like something you would use to wipe your butt. Computing with it on a daily basis? Hardcore pass..

 

[Vayra86]

Honestly I think it would look decent in a business office setup... but business offices use wired for a reason, those batteries wouldn't be worth the yearly cost in the end... which further reinforces my point... this is probably just coal power being wasted again as usual.

Its certainly e-waste.

Its most certainly not environmentally friendly in any way shape or form. They re-used plastic, to make marketing. The rest is your usual wireless mouse... Now watch them sell this in an uncolored, unrecycled fresh, transparent plastic blister Okay, fair enough. They put some thought into packaging too!

Commerce will do and has done this to everything. We won't save ourselves being 'environmentally friendly' and consuming as we do regardless. That's just a massive load of cognitive dissonance at work.

 

[Space Lynx]

Its certainly e-waste.

Its most certainly not environmentally friendly in any way shape or form. They re-used plastic, to make marketing. The rest is your usual wireless mouse... Now watch them sell this in an uncolored, unrecycled fresh, transparent plastic blister Okay, fair enough. They put some thought into packaging too!

Commerce will do and has done this to everything. We won't save ourselves being 'environmentally friendly' and consuming as we do regardless. That's just a massive load of cognitive dissonance at work.

well said!

Agreed!

Can't agree there. That thing looks like something you would use to wipe your butt. Computing with it on a daily basis? Hardcore pass..

i like that teal color is all, but yeah i get your side as well LOL

 

[Tardian]

I think all the previous arguments don't hold water, unlike the material from which this mouse is made.

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

Products like this send the wrong message with respect to the environmental crisis, to the uninformed, the perpetuate the myth that technology, and technology alone, can solve this crisis, when not only is that not the case, there's ample evidence to show it cannot be done.

A few years ago I read an eye opening book called "Techno-Fix: Why Technology Won't Save Us Or the Environment". Like with every book I read, I carefully examine the foot and endnotes (the sources) and dug further into the topic. Apparently, the argument made in the book isn't some fringe theory, but the realization that countless specialists and experts in the field of environmental sciences, industrial engineering, etc have concluded. Certain phenomenon like the "rebound effect" (how efficiency gains result in more resource and energy usage instead of less) have been thoroughly documented, and even studies in which groups of leading scientists have created models to see if global resource use can be brought to sustainable levels even when completely unrealistic levels of technological development and political will are assumed have resulted in failure (this is a really eye opening article if anyone is interested), demonstrate that technological gains are not the way out.

I realize it's hard to recommend reading a thick book to people, but an excellent documentary (professionally created and meticulously researched) was released a few years ago and is free on YouTube called "Planet of the Humans", check it out.

Back to the mouse, the better solution wouldn't be to use ocean plastic, but to produce far less plastic in the first place as a means of having not enter the ocean to begin with.... Yes recycling is good, but if we remember the slogan, reduce and reuse come before recycling, which, depending on the material, requires a large energy input and virgin materials regardless. This is just an attempt at green washing my Microsoft.

 

[TheOne]

Reminds me of a bar of soap.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Reminds me of a bar of soap.

That too!

 

[Flanker]

Reminds me of a bar of soap.

The one you dropped?

 

[pavle]

I'll wait for the one out of ocean water.

 

[zlobby]

Yeah, Microsoft are well known trash recyclers. From source code to Surface tablets.

 

[Bones]

I'll pass just because it's wireless - Don't like having to worry about a battery when a corded mouse doesn't go dead on you.
And I've been using mice with a cord eversince and haven't had to worry about or buy the first battery yet.

As for the rest..... Yeah - I'd pass on all that too.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I'll pass just because it's wireless - Don't like having to worry about a battery when a corded mouse doesn't go dead on you.

THIS, YES!

I have a few wireless mice and KBs but they are livingroom, non-gaming use only.

 

[Shihab]

Green, err, "teal" washing?

I admit that I do like the design, that ugly logo on the side notwithstanding.

Those batteries wouldn't be very environmentally friendly would they?

NiMH?

 

[JalleR]

funny enough i just saw this wideo today
Info on Ocean Plastic:
Why recycled ocean plastic is (often) a lie - YouTube

 

[Zareek]

Nice effort, poor execution for M$! on this one. It's a great idea but that looks like a cheap disposable mouse. If you are building a mouse to help the ocean plastic problem, build something so robust it will last for a decade. Make it with replaceable switches, things that will extend its longevity. Up the environmental friendliness another notch, include a rechargeable NiMH AA battery and make it re-charge that user replaceable battery over USB right in the mouse.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Products like this send the wrong message with respect to the environmental crisis, to the uninformed, the perpetuate the myth that technology, and technology alone, can solve this crisis, when not only is that not the case, there's ample evidence to show it cannot be done.

A few years ago I read an eye opening book called "Techno-Fix: Why Technology Won't Save Us Or the Environment". Like with every book I read, I carefully examine the foot and endnotes (the sources) and dug further into the topic. Apparently, the argument made in the book isn't some fringe theory, but the realization that countless specialists and experts in the field of environmental sciences, industrial engineering, etc have concluded. Certain phenomenon like the "rebound effect" (how efficiency gains result in more resource and energy usage instead of less) have been thoroughly documented, and even studies in which groups of leading scientists have created models to see if global resource use can be brought to sustainable levels even when completely unrealistic levels of technological development and political will are assumed have resulted in failure (this is a really eye opening article if anyone is interested), demonstrate that technological gains are not the way out.

I realize it's hard to recommend reading a thick book to people, but an excellent documentary (professionally created and meticulously researched) was released a few years ago and is free on YouTube called "Planet of the Humans", check it out.

Back to the mouse, the better solution wouldn't be to use ocean plastic, but to produce far less plastic in the first place as a means of having not enter the ocean to begin with.... Yes recycling is good, but if we remember the slogan, reduce and reuse come before recycling, which, depending on the material, requires a large energy input and virgin materials regardless. This is just an attempt at green washing my Microsoft.

Agreed, I think it would be better if it was made out of a biodegradeable plastic, or some organic plastic that isnt made from oil.

Or, hey, if MS wants to help clean the planet maybe dont make a huge chunk of computers prematurely obsolete with TPM 2.0. Just a thought.

 

[eidairaman1]

How about these corporations buy back dead hardware such as mice and keyboards to make new mice and keyboards? I mean the plastics can melted down, pcbs stripped of metal and ground up to make more pcbs...

Those batteries wouldn't be very environmentally friendly would they? I much prefer wired mice

Yup there is always input lag no matter how much better wireless gets...

 

[Liquid Cool]

I often wonder how many more pc's are going to be relegated to our landfills via Microsoft's new stance on their Windows product.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Microsoft are six companies I refuse to do business with. Any business.

TLS. Excellent article. Well written...

Best Regards,

Liquid Cool

 

[damric]

Is it recycling if someone tosses it back into the ocean?

 

[The red spirit]

Products like this send the wrong message with respect to the environmental crisis, to the uninformed, the perpetuate the myth that technology, and technology alone, can solve this crisis, when not only is that not the case, there's ample evidence to show it cannot be done.

I think that even if they managed to reduce emissions by even 5-15% it's already very good. Sure MS won't save a planet and it sure does help them sell those mouses, but if they contribute even a small bit, that's appreciated.

Those batteries wouldn't be very environmentally friendly would they? I much prefer wired mice

It's 2021 and it's crazy that people are still unaware of rechargeable batteries, which existed for a very long time.

That is one ugly mouse..

It's a personal judgment. I find it interesting. Pretty much every new mouse is just black plastic clone of each other and this is gray, has some speckles and cyan accents. That's pretty cool. I'm still waiting for white SS mouse comeback, those looked super nice.