Acer Aspire Vero 15 laptop and Vero projector offer sustainable productivity and entertainment

Modern life has become surrounded and dependent on consumer electronics, from the appliances we use day in and day out to the smartphone that almost never leave our hands. While these products bring convenience to our lives, they often come at the cost of the planet’s health, especially when we buy them left and right without considering where and how they are made. Fortunately, manufacturers are taking note and have started producing more eco-friendly options for consumers. In the midst of a new batch of computers and accessories, Acer is expanding its green Vero family with a 15-inch laptop and a brand-new laser projector to offer a more sustainable way to work, play, and enjoy life.

Designer: Acer

Acer Aspire Vero 15 Laptop

Although desktop computers still have a spot in the market, especially in gaming, most people prefer to have a laptop that they can bring with them outside or even just around the house. There is an almost overwhelming amount of models available across dozens of brands, making it difficult to pick one to buy. If you’re the type to be conscious of the impact of your purchases on the environment, then the new Acer Aspire Vero 15 AV15-53P is something you should look into.

Although it still has the conventional parts found in all laptops, the Aspire Vero 15 boasts a more eco-conscious design that brings the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics used in the chassis from 30% to 40%. This chassis is also made with 30% fewer carbon emissions and doesn’t use paint for its eye-catching appearance. The laptop is also made to have an extended life thanks to standardized screws that simplify repairs and recycling when the inevitable happens.

Breaking misconceptions about products that use recycled materials, the Aspire Vero 15 doesn’t skimp on performance with a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, a spacious 15.6-inch Full HD screen, up to 16GB of memory, and up to 1TB of M.2 SSD storage. The Acer Aspire Vero 15 AV15-53P launches in June with a starting price of just $699.99.

Acer Vero Projector

There are many people these days who have replaced their TVs with home projectors for ultimate flexibility. This growing segment of consumer electronics represents an opportunity to start on the right foot with more sustainable practices from the get-go. There are plenty of areas where things can be improved, and Acer’s newest laser projector focuses on not only reducing energy consumption but also reducing your electricity bill.

The Acer Vero PL3510ATV projector touts an advanced laser-light projection system that promises 48% less power consumption thanks to the use of super laser phosphor illumination technology. Despite that lower figure, it still manages to put out a bright 4,800 ANSI lumens projection and sharp Full HD resolution. The mercury-free projector also uses 50% PCR plastic in its chassis to further reduce its overall impact on the environment.

In addition to its sustainability bragging rights, the Vero PL3510ATV projector also has some smart chops with 2D keystone and four-corner correction that automatically adjusts the projection to any viewing surface. In addition to directly connecting video sources, the projector also comes with an Android TV dongle for an even wider selection of things to watch or play. The Acer Vero PL3510ATV projector will be available only in EMEA markets starting in September for 1,399 EUR ($1,540).

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Tanner Goods recycled leather wallets make the old new again

Plenty of people love leather, from designers to fashionistas to connoisseurs and everyone in between. Leather looks great and also feels great in your hand or on your skin, and unlike most materials, it ages gracefully. In fact, the way leather ages is almost as unique as the person using it, developing different patina patterns depending on how it has been used, which can vary from person to person. As beautiful and biodegradable as it might be, its source and production are highly controversial. Synthetic leathers, on the other hand, just don’t cut it in terms of quality and sustainability. There are new kinds of more sustainable and more ethically-sourced leather being developed, but while we wait for them to become more commonplace, the least we can do is to make sure that not even a scrap of leather is wasted, which is exactly what these handsome leather wallets are doing.

Designer: Tanner Goods

While leather itself is more sustainable than materials that use synthetic fibers or chemicals, its creation is, unfortunately, a questionable process. Of course, it continues to be the material of choice for many premium products, many of which produce plenty of waste from scraps and cutoffs that are simply thrown out. While reusing these pieces won’t exactly eradicate the leather problem completely, it does mean that there could be less need for fresh leather every time a new product is made.

That’s the kind of smart reuse that Tanner Goods is proposing with its newest addition to its leather wallet collection. The wallets are made from 100% recycled leather that was ground from the cutoffs of their own leather gloves. These are then bound with natural latex, which means that the process and the materials are at least more sustainable than manufacturing leather wallets from scratch.

The results are wallets that are nearly identical to the non-recycled versions, except perhaps in the shades of brown that might have been a design choice to visually differentiate the two groups. In terms of the tactile qualities, Tanner Goods says that the wallets match those of the leather gloves they were sourced from, which might mean they’re also distinct from your conventional leather wallet. The “fresh” leather, for example, looks smoother and shinier, while the recycled leather has a more textured surface and less gloss. It’s not a perfect match, but it also gives the wallets their own distinct personalities.

It’s just a small drop in the sea that is the leather industry, and this strategy might not apply to larger leather products. A more substantial and long-term solution would be to produce more sustainable and ethical kinds of leather, such as those made from plants. Those still have kinks that need to be ironed out, but in the meantime, small efforts like this could still go a long way in making recycled leather more known and accepted, especially when it looks and feels like new leather anyway.

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Flek Pure is a translucent terrazzo-like panel made from 100% recycled materials

Although many people know about the benefits of using products made from recycled materials, few actively seek them out. The only times they do buy something that uses recycled materials is when it’s actually part of a bigger whole, and they have no choice on the matter. There are many presumptions and misconceptions about the quality of recycled products, which may have been true decades ago. Fortunately, designers, science, and technologies have moved forward since then, breaking the mold of what you can expect from recycled materials. This translucent resin-like material, for example, is so eye-catching and beautiful that you might not believe that it’s 100% made from bits and pieces that would have otherwise been thrown away.

Designer: 3form

Back in the day, you could easily tell recycled paper from virgin paper with a single look. Recycled paper is often rough and brown or gray, properties that are unappealing and sometimes even unusable in some applications. That’s no longer true today, of course, but there are still some things that are difficult to pull off when using recycled materials. Most products using recycled materials, for example, are often opaque, which is what makes this striking material even more impressive.

Flek Pure is a resin-like material for use as panels in doors, partitions, decorations, and anywhere else you would need a durable and sustainable slab that would be a stand-in for glass or fiberglass. The “Pure” variant, specifically, looks like frosted glass with a few random specs of colors that give it a terrazzo-like character. Like frosted glass, it is translucent, and you can make out shapes and shadows behind the panel, creating an interesting visual that still maintains your privacy.

That translucency is a rare trait among materials made from recycled bits, especially one that’s 100% recycled, like Flek Pure. The company uses a unique and meticulous process that creates pellets from internally sourced waste or upcycled materials and then sorts these pellets according to their clarity and cleanliness. This is how the translucent appearance is achieved, and the bits that aren’t so clear are still used to create the “imperfections” that give Flek its terrazzo aesthetic. Nothing is wasted, which makes Flek Pure an excellent solution for environment-conscious designers.

Of course, not everyone will find Flex Pure’s clear whiteness always appealing. There are other colorways available as well, which all maintain that translucent quality. The addition of color, however, does pull the sustainability a bit down to using only 92% recycled material, but it’s still a significant win, especially compared to opaque or muddy panels that use even less recycled parts.

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This beautiful recycled trash can is a fitting descendant of the Vipp Pedal Bin

A trash can that uses a pedal to open its lid might be painfully ordinary today, but back in 1939, it was a mind-blowing radical design. Imagine not having to get your hands dirty to open a bin but still having a cover to keep the area sanitized. Vipp’s Pedal Bin became the prototype for many such pedal-equipped cans since then, but the company has managed to stick true to the original’s iconic appearance. Almost 84 years later, Vipp is giving that classic a bit of an upgrade, not by changing its design but by changing what it’s made of. After all, what better way to inspire a recycling mindset than with a rubbish bin that’s literally rubbish.

Designer: Vipp

It’s definitely too easy to take trash bins for granted. Because of their association with trash, they are often placed out of sight or at least in corners that don’t get too much attention. Even ones in offices that contain nothing but paper or a few bits and pieces of plastic are often shoved under desks. In stark contrast, the Vipp Pedal Bin has always had a peculiar beauty to its simple form, and it develops an even more distinctive character in its new Rubbish Bin incarnation.

At first glance, the new bin is exactly like the old one, sporting the same cylindrical shape above a wider circular base, topped by a stainless steel lid that deftly opens up when you push down on the pedal. Upon closer inspection, however, you will notice that the typical powder coating of Vipp’s regular bins gives way to something that looks rough and raw, almost like made from unpolished cement. In a way, it does hint at the rubbish bin’s unusual constitution, which is actually made from Vipp’s own trash.

That material combines plastic from the company’s sofa production and wood fiber waste from its table manufacturing, forming a kind of paste that is pressed into a mold. The assembled bin is left unpainted, although it is treated with a protective coating, allowing its natural imperfections to become its biggest asset. To complete its sustainability message, the rubbish bin is packaged in recyclable FSC cardboard and is given a ten-year warranty to make sure it doesn’t end up getting thrown away any time soon.

The end result is a trash can that is unconventionally beautiful inside and out, at least not considering the actual trash you will put inside. Although it doesn’t drastically transform the bin-making industry, it does mean that each of these Rubbish Bins doesn’t contribute to the harmful effects of the typical manufacturing process. It creatively sends a message that recycled products don’t have to look like trash, pun intended, while perhaps giving you pause for thought about the trash that you’ll be throwing away.

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Samsung Galaxy S23 design has a more interesting sustainability story to tell

Samsung has finally taken the veil off its early 2023 flagship, and, to no one’s surprise, it is exactly as the leaks claimed it to be. If you are feeling a bit of deja vu, that’s because Samsung has adopted most of the same design elements from last year’s models to the Galaxy S23 trio this year. Of course, there are some changes, like the removal of the somewhat awkward “Contour Cut” camera bump for separate raised lenses per camera, somewhat unifying the design language of the three while still maintaining the distinct identity of the Ultra model. While the familiar design goes well for brand recognition, some might find it boring compared to the bold and sometimes gimmicky appearances of other phones. Inside that simple and subdued appearance, however, lies something more important, one that could have a significant impact on the future of Samsung’s phones and that of the planet as well.

Designer: Samsung

Although they might not be the biggest offenders, the sheer volume of smartphones being produced each quarter, not just each year, has an undeniable effect on the environment, most if not all of them negative. The resources used and wasted in manufacturing phones, not to mention the amount of plastics used in components, all contribute to the degrading state of the planet. Smartphones are also thrown out way before they need to be, sometimes just because they’re no longer supported by the company, and their improper disposal also slowly poisons both land and sea.

Fortunately, smartphone manufacturers, especially big ones like Samsung and Apple, have started to take notice and take action. Some might question the actual effectiveness of removing the charger from the box, but the positive actions thankfully don’t stop there. Samsung, for its part, has been proudly shouting about its growing sustainability efforts, and the Galaxy S23 series is supposedly taking the next step to a slightly greener smartphone.

The new Samsung phones have more parts that use recycled materials now, 12 both internal and external components to be precise. These include the use of recycled post-consumer plastic from PET bottles and discarded fishing nets, as well as pre-consumer recycled aluminum and glass. Quite interesting is the revelation that the protective glass used for the phones, the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, contains 22% pre-consumer recycled glass.

There’s still a tremendous amount of non-sustainable materials used in smartphones, and the processes used to manufacture them and their components continue to hurt the environment. A small win is still a win, though, so Samsung definitely deserves a pat on the back. Even more so because, contrary to common capitalist business logic, Samsung promises around four to five years of support for its phones, ensuring that they will remain usable and keep them away from landfills for even longer periods of time.

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This side and coffee tables have sustainability and simplicity ingrained in their DNA

Once upon a time, buying a table involved troublesome and inconvenient shipping arrangements because the furniture either comes pre-assembled or didn’t have any way to disassemble it anyway. These days, however, it has become trendy to buy flat-packed furniture, especially if they come with minimalist designs. These are easier to transport, sometimes by the buyers themselves, and are possible to take apart store away when they’re no longer needed. The trade-off, however, is often the complexity and difficulty of assembling the things on your own. Fortunately, more creative furniture designers have come up with new ways to simplify that process, and these wooden tables demonstrate how an easier process doesn’t exactly make the furniture less stable.

Designer: Ivan Nuño

Thanks to the prevalence of minimalist designs and the popularity of stores like IKEA, it isn’t uncommon these days for many people to prefer tables and chairs that arrive at their doorsteps in pieces. Logistics like transportation and storage can be cheaper, and it’s also not that much work for those already used to putting things together themselves by hand. The latter, however, doesn’t cover the majority of buyers that need simpler steps to follow. Unfortunately, simplicity can sometimes also mean fragility, and some might find their tables loosening in critical areas.

To correct that problem, Studio Nuño designed a new type of joinery that it says reduces the assembly time down to just a few minutes while still maintaining structural strength to bear the weight of everyday use. You simply insert the legs into the slots beneath the tabletop, slide in a supporting piece, and screw that piece down with an Allen wrench. The legs come in three or four distinct pieces for the side table and coffee table, respectively, so there are no confusing angles or combinations to worry about.

Although not an inherent property of flat-pack design, many products that come in this form often have a pinch of sustainable design as well. Studio Nuño, however, takes it to a whole new level by making sure both the product and its packaging are environment-friendly. The wood for the tables, for example, is made from Baltic birch plywood coated with high-pressure laminate made from recycled materials, while the joinery uses recycled steel. The packaging is devoid of single-use plastic, using 100% recycled and biodegradable materials. It even uses eco-friendly tape to keep things together.

Studio Nuño’s tables don’t skimp on the aesthetics either, fully embracing a minimalist design that blends well with any theme you might have running in your home. Simple and sustainable, this coffee and side table pair offers a fresh look at how furniture doesn’t have to be complicated to be beautiful or sturdy. At the same time, its simple assembly also proves that you don’t have to sweat too much to have a sturdy and reliable table for your use, whatever that may be.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and 5 offer reliable performance to mainstream users

Not everyone who needs a computer has steep requirements and deep pockets. That said, it doesn’t mean that these people don’t deserve a respectable product that gives what they need at a more accessible price point. There is a never-ending balancing act between price and features in the computer market, and thankfully Lenovo has a wide portfolio to capture these different segments. While the ThinkPad line mostly targets business customers and professionals, the IdeaPad family aims for everyday users with more varied needs. In that regard, the upcoming IdeaPad Pro 5i and 5 laptops might just have the perfect balance of powerful features in a package that won’t burn a large hole in your wallet.

Designer: Lenovo

Just because you don’t want or even need all the bells and whistles of a premium laptop doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a decent portable PC. Since different people have different needs, such a computer will still need to check all the right boxes to be usable for all people from all walks of work and school life. That’s the ideal of the Lenovo IdeaPad, and the latest iteration of its “Pro” tier gives buyers the freedom to choose what they need and want, from the size down to the processors inside.

The IdeaPad Pro 5i and IdeaPad Pro 5 are nearly identical in specs, differentiated only in the CPU they use, both the latest in their category. The “i” in the IdeaPad Pro 5i signifies that it’s an Intel machine, while the IdeaPad Pro 5 goes with the rivaling AMD Ryzen. For the former, buyers get to choose whether to use Intel’s built-in graphics or spend a bit more to get a next-gen NVIDIA GeForce mobile GPU, turning the serious laptop into a light gaming machine. There’s also the choice between display sizes of 14 or 16 inches, depending on what you need to be productive.

Whichever configuration you choose, Lenovo promises a balanced set of features to cover any type of use case, from work to study to entertainment. A physical privacy shutter for the camera guarantees your online safety when you’re not on a video call, and a Smart Power feature learns from your habits to automatically adjust the laptop’s power and cooling functions to deliver optimal performance and battery life. As for that battery life, Lenovo advertises that charging the IdeaPad Pro 5i/5 for just 15 minutes will give it 25% more battery life, already equivalent to hours of use.

Sustainability has been a very big deal for Lenovo of late, and the IdeaPad family embodies those objectives. The IdeaPad Pro 5, in particular, uses 50% recycled aluminum for its bottom cover, a small but important step forward for the brand. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and 5 will be available in May 2023 with a starting price of $1,499.99 for the 16-inch Intel model. Unfortunately, this will be the only configuration available for North American markets, while other models will be available in the EMEA region.

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This peculiar furniture set gives styrofoam a new home inside yours

The way our brain works, we become almost numb and blind to the most mundane things that we see every day. It’s a survival tactic that prevents our brains from blowing up at every external stimulus. For example, we easily take styrofoam for granted in whatever form it comes in, be it large slabs or tiny balls, because they’re easy to ignore in all the packaging, cups, and containers that we see day in and day out. These synthetic objects, however, obviously have a negative impact on the environment, and the measures taken to reduce that ironically still stress both natural and human resources. That’s why these pieces of furniture try to nip the problem in the bud by giving styrofoam a new purpose inside or outside your home without having to travel far from where they’re taken.

Designers: we+

Styrofoam, by nature, is not only non-biodegradable but also potentially harmful to our own health, which makes its use as food and beverage containers sound almost ironic. The good news is that styrofoam can actually be transformed into materials for recycled plastic products after they have been melted and treated, presuming they’re even disposed of properly. The bad news is that these materials are often sent to other countries, which makes the entire process inefficient, wasteful, and still harmful to the environment in the long run.

Japan, for example, often exports styrofoam melted into ingots only to have those become the foundations for products bought in bargain stores. Rather than going through that roundabout and expensive process, Refoam starts and ends in Japan, right where the styrofoam is melted. This recycled goo is then immediately used to build up structures with unique textures and surfaces. Structures that can become tables, chairs, and furniture that will give any space a distinct look.

Whether from near or from a distance, it’s easy to see that any piece of Refoam furniture has a unique and almost odd aesthetic. It’s like a cross between cracked concrete and molten lava that has been cooled after it was given shape. Given the process involved in melting pieces of styrofoam and placing the resulting goo into molds to cool, that’s a rather accurate representation.

The Refoam series’ rocky appearance makes it almost perfect for outdoor use, but it can still fit in some interior motifs, particularly those aiming for cold, earthy tones. More importantly, however, it provides not only a more sustainable process for recycling styrofoam waste but also gives the material new value, even in its raw, melted form.

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This striking couch makes a powerful statement on face masks

There was a point in very recent history when it seemed that the world had run out of single-use face masks, sometimes referred to as surgical masks. Eventually, however, supply did finally catch up to demand, and the use of such protective gear became so common that people would acquire them in bulk. Unfortunately, these masks weren’t made exactly made with regular people in mind and in situations where they would not be disposed of properly. What was a tool that helped save human lives, unfortunately, became poison to the planet, especially our already polluted waters. Although restrictions have been lifted in many places, these single-use masks are still in high demand and use, including outside the medical field, and the harm that these discarded masks pose to the environment has been demonstrated with dramatic effect in a pouf made almost completely out of this personal protective equipment.

Designer: Tobia Zambotti

Surgical masks look simple enough that most probably take for granted the materials used to make them. Most probably presume that they’re made from biodegradable material since they feel like cloth or paper, but that’s not exactly true. They are made from a certain kind of plastic, and they can’t be recycled because of their use in medical scenarios. Thus, they become dangerous pollutants, whether they’re burned by incinerators or thrown into the waters.

Given the volume of single-use masks produced and discarded on a regular basis, that can easily cause an environmental problem. What makes the situation worse is that very few people are aware of this situation, let alone of the harmful potential of these masks. What better way to call their attention, then, than by putting this number into perspective in a rather shocking manner?

That is what COUCH-19 does in a way that is both meaningful but also useful. Hundreds of used masks are collected and then sanitized using ozone before they’re entombed in a pouf made from recyclable crystal PVC. Each pouf is modular so that it can be combined with others to form a couch to one’s specifications. The poufs are shaped irregularly to give the semblance of the masks frozen in time. The iceberg-like design is intended to be a reference to global warming.

As a couch, the COUCH-19 looks both interesting but also a bit unsettling, which is part of the message. While there’s no doubt that it can function as a piece of furniture, its appearance is alien enough to give our brains pause, forcing us to face the reality that those masks convey, that of a world where we might be forced to live with the very trash that we so mindlessly throw away.

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This zero-waste laptop bag tries to make up for your laptop’s environmental sins

Our civilization now relies heavily on all sorts of computers, but these products are sadly also killing of our planet in the process. From their production to their daily use to their disposal, desktops and laptops contribute to the sad state of our planet. Even worse, we tend to buy accessories for these devices that themselves create more problems for our environment. Fortunately, designers and brands have started to become more conscious of how even small things like accessory can pile up to become a sustainability disaster and are taking steps to minimize their negative impact on the environment. This laptop case, for example, is made from leftover fabric to become something fashionable that also shows a bit of university spirit, too.

Designer: Shelly Xu Design (SXD) x Harvard Innovation Labs

It’s easy to take for granted how clothes can be harmful to the environment because they seem biodegradable enough. While some textile and dyes aren’t exactly sustainable, those aren’t the only environmental problems they cause. The fashion industry alone is responsible for million tons of textile waste every year for leftover scraps and wasted fabric. This waste that would have otherwise piled up on landfills are the very source materials that Shelly Xu Design (SXD) uses to create masterpieces that make a statement in more ways than one.

It’s that kind of boldness that SXD is bringing to an industry outside fashion, with a laptop case that similarly uses those wasted fabric to produce something that will keep your laptop safe and snug while you go about your business in school or in the office. The main bag is made from white neoprene taken from scuba diving sets while the red handle and pockets are source from leftover polo shirt materials. The entire bag is made waterproof using ecorepel which biomimics how waterfowl feathers are able to repel water, hence the name.

This zero-waste “ILab Bag” is simple yet fashionable while also being functional. The bag is reversible, so you can choose between a plain white appearance or accented red. The red cloth parts also function as pockets and handles, going beyond mere embellishments. And when the laptop bag is fully unfolded, that side forms a red “H” on white, a nod to Harvard’s name and colors.

The SXD zero-waste laptop case might not be extraordinary in terms of form and function, but that isn’t its primary objective anyway. Instead, it tries to serve as an inspiration and model for how recycled waste materials can be transformed into high-quality, beautiful products. If more companies start producing swag these way, it could eventually lead to a transformation of an industry that often doesn’t give a second thought to its long-term effects on the only planet that we have.

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