Lenovo continues to incorporate post-consumer recycled content (PCC) plastics, closed-loop post-consumer recycled content (CL PCC) plastics, ocean bound plastics (OBP), recycled metals, and new materials such as post-consumer recycled rare earth metals into select products. These recycled materials are important to Lenovo’s product development strategy and transition to a circular economy.

Using recycled materials in IT products presents significant challenges due to the unique structural, performance, and cosmetic requirements associated with these applications. To overcome the continuing challenges of using recycled content in the design and manufacture of smart connected devices, especially notebooks, tablets, and smartphones, Lenovo’s engineers work closely with suppliers to develop and qualify recycled materials that meet required performance and structural standards. These materials receive environmental and performance qualifications before their approval and use in Lenovo product applications.

In addition to the work done by Lenovo’s engineers, Lenovo’s research and development teams work with material suppliers and a third-party certification authority to build its CL PCC supplier and material process, including the “Approved Recycling Standard,” the “Quality Assurance Operation Requirements,” and the “Recovery Ratio” criteria to validate their sources of waste and control processes using a hierarchical waste product traceability scheme.

* Excludes tablets and accessories

Using recycled materials helps eliminate the need for natural resources extraction because materials are kept in circulation while being diverted from landfills. Lenovo’s increased use of CL PCC plastics is helping to sustain the demand for recycled plastic materials from IT products. Lenovo is helping to transition to a circular economy while still creating a product that meets Lenovo’s high performance standards.

Lenovo currently uses PCC plastics in notebooks, desktops, workstations, monitors, tablets, and accessories, and is introducing CL PCC and OBP into more products each year.

In addition to recycled and OBP plastics, Lenovo is also using recycled metals and recycled rare earth metals to support the transition to a more circular economy. Recycled metals introduced to select Lenovo products include aluminum, magnesium, copper, and steel. Such usage helps reduce mining and consumption of natural resources. Lenovo is expanding the use of recycled metals, including rare earth metals, into more of its Lenovo notebooks, monitors, tablets, desktops products, and Motorola smartphone products.

Lenovo’s progress on our use of recycled content is available in sections 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 of our ESG report.