Sustainable tech accessories are a must in the day and age when we largely depend on mobile technology. Brighton-based team Gomi has done it again and created portable chargers out of materials we casually throw away daily.
Who is Gomi?
Last year, we told a story of Gomi making music greener with speakers made of non-recyclable plastic. The company, focused on turning waste into “desirable objects,” was founded by Tom Meades and other Brighton uni graduates who are passionate about reducing waste.
Their new product is portable chargers made from flexible plastic waste and batteries that are UK councils deem as non-recyclable. Each charger is handmade and unique. Gomi makes them from modular waste plastic components. Aside from that, its power comes from reused batteries, which would’ve ended up in the landfill otherwise.
From speakers to portable chargers
Battery waste is a serious issue. By 2030, 2 million tonnes of lithium batteries are expected to be produced worldwide. To curb this, Gomi aims to tap into the waste stream and transform it into consumer products. Meades has also expressed that “We want to use our chargers to stimulate real change in transforming non-recyclable waste into desirable well-loved recyclable products.”
Indeed, the focus on sustainability seems to permeate each business decision of Gomi. After all, they made their speakers entirely from materials that wouldn’t have been recycled otherwise. They also work with suppliers helping them get rid of the waste. Aside from that, they accept plastic waste from local households. Besides that, they aim to offer free return service for recycling.
As with its speakers, Gomi hopes to use Kickstarter to back the project and scale it. They’ve already optimized the production process for the speakers, which helped it to weigh under 40 pounds as a result.
It seems that the British company is delivering on its mission to turn plastic trash into beautiful tech products. For one, I am looking forward to seeing what their next idea is and how they can inspire other companies to make sustainability their USP. These portable chargers will be available on Kickstarter starting March 31, 2020.
Photo credit: The images shown are owned by Gomi and were provided to us by email.
Source: Gomi press release sent to us by mail.
Editorial notice: Shortly after publishing the article with a stock image, we received the actual Gomi photos of the product and then updated the article accordingly.
