ZAGG partners with Eastman to manufacture sustainable smartphone cases made with Tritan Renew
ZAGG, a global leader and innovator in mobile device protection, today announced a new materials partnership with Eastman to incorporate Tritan Renew copolyester into ZAGG’s Gear4 protective smartphone cases. Employing a revolutionary, material-to-material molecular recycling technology, Tritan Renew from Eastman offers recycled content and reduces the use of fossil-based resources.
The partnership with Eastman will allow ZAGG to offer select cases that are more sustainable with Tritan Renew — which contains 50% certified recycled content — while delivering the same durability and quality for which ZAGG is known. During the fiscal year 2021, ZAGG’s efforts have helped divert 60 tons of plastic waste from landfills or the ocean, the equivalent of 5.86 million water bottles, and have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 51 metric tons compared to processes using fossil-based resources.
“Our mission at ZAGG is to protect better. That includes not only our mobile devices but also our environment and the world we live in,” said Brad Bell, senior vice president of global marketing for ZAGG. “ZAGG with Tritan Renew allows users to feel confident their device is safe and they’re making a difference in the world by protecting our planet.”
Eastman’s molecular recycling technology breaks down plastic waste into fundamental building blocks to create new materials. By replacing traditional fossil feedstocks with hard-to-recycle plastic, molecular recycling diverts plastic waste from landfills and incinerators or from becoming litter in the ocean.
As a global citizen, ZAGG is carefully considering environmental improvements to packaging, product materials, manufacturing, recycling, and more. The Eastman partnership reinforces ZAGG’s commitment to sustainability as the company believes there’s a better solution for plastic waste than landfills and incinerators. Current mechanical recycling programs can only accept certain types of plastic and usually result in materials that do not offer the same durability and clarity as to the original materials.
“ZAGG is changing the way it thinks about, designs, and produces its mobile phone accessories, and Eastman is proud to be a part of their efforts to create products that directly benefit consumers and the planet,” said Courtland Jenkins, commercial director of specialty plastics at Eastman.
