AT&T to use plant-based plastic in accessory packages

The move to greener and more sustainable materials in packaging is going on all around the world. A bunch of the companies we are all familiar with are looking to use plastics that are based on plants and other renewable resources that also break down easily in landfills rather than plastics that can last decades or more in a landfill and are petroleum-based. Not long ago Pepsi announced that it would be using green plant-based plastic in its soft drink bottles.

AT&T has now announced that it will use a new plastic in its AT&T branded accessory packages. The new plastic is made with up to 30% plant-based materials that are sources from ethanol harvested from sugarcane. Sugarcane is a very fast growing and renewable crop making it ideal for use in plastics. The use of the plant-based plastic combined with a reduction made in packaging last year has save a huge amount of paper and plastic.

AT&T has eliminated over 500 tons of plastic and paper in its packaging. The transition in stores and online to the new packaging will start on October 2. Most of the cases and power accessories sold in AT&T stores will come with the new packaging.

"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."