Google’s best practices for recycled materials

Google’s Pixel 10a smartphone, launched in March, contains 36 percent recycled materials, by weight, more than the latest Apple iPhone models. That includes aluminum, cobalt, copper, gold, tin, tungsten, rare elements, plastics and glass.

It took a decade of close collaboration between Google’s environmental sustainability, product design, materials engineering and supply chain teams to reach that milestone. 

The work, documented in a guide published in March, is part of Google’s commitment to incorporate recycled content into all new consumer electronics. As of 2025, for example, 48 percent of the plastic used in Google smartphones, watches, home automation devices, speakers and other gadgets came from recycled sources.

Replacing virgin content with recycled material is one of Google’s key levers for reducing the carbon footprint of individual products and also addresses other supply chain environmental and social risks, said Tameron Stuber, product sustainability strategy lead for the Pixel portfolio at Google.

“Often, recycled materials have a lower part of the footprint than the primary materials use, and within our responsible material space we’re also prioritizing safer chemistry,” she said during a panel at Trellis Impact 26 in June. “We are also protecting the biodiversity and nature of our supply chain sites, and safeguarding the rights of our workers and our supply chains, as well.”

The Pixel 10 series represents Google’s first foray into recycled cobalt, copper, gold and tungsten for its smartphones. The frame is made entirely of recycled aluminum, and 81 percent of the plastic in the back cover is recycled.  

Timing and testing

Plastic was one of the first materials Google tackled, because it represented a significant percentage of the material in the company’s devices and because that recycling ecosystem was more established.

Google’s sustainability team consulted designers and materials engineers to build credibility and to identify the most appropriate ways to influence development roadmaps, Stuber said.

“Often, it’s many years, sometimes it could be a decade, where you actually see these things implemented in your products,” she said. “It’s really important to understand things holistically.” 

The journey to recycled content often starts with just one part; once the transition is successful, it’s easier to tackle additional materials. “We strategically picked materials so that we could demonstrate this was possible and build confidence across our organization,” Stuber said.

Potential objections and how to address them

Design and engineering concerns about recycled materials range from aesthetics to performance factors. Google hires contract manufacturers to make its technology, but its internal team is responsible for ensuring how recycled materials might impact production lines.   

“The truth is that if you can understand well enough that there’s going to be differences between virgin and post-consumer recycled material, and you can account for it in your qualification and building process, you’ll be able to be fine on the manufacturing floor,” said Sidd Dev, senior materials engineer at Google.

Issues to consider:

• Color degradation. This is particularly true for plastics, which can yellow or be contaminated with black specks. Those considerations might require changes to the resin formulas or different color selections than with virgin materials.
• Mechanical attributes. Choosing recycled materials might require changing the thickness of components or tweaking the molds, to accommodate how they respond under stress or temperature changes. There may also be weight differences. “That doesn’t mean it’s going to cause issues, we just have to plan for that ahead of time,” Dev said. 
• Quality control. Finding reliable suppliers is non-negotiable, and third-party certifications are required. Google looks first to its existing suppliers, and provides newer ones that have less experience working with recycled materials with the parameters they’ll need to meet. That wasn’t initially a priority, Stuber said, but it’s vitally important for scale and it happens several years ahead of a launch. 
• Traditional testing. Devices made with recycled materials must withstand the same drop, heat, chemical-resistance and metal-bonding screens as those made with virgin materials. Google documents any differences, good or bad. 

“This is a way that we’ve been able to build confidence within our organization that we’re building out the right plans,” Dev said.