Belkin PCR - No Reason Not to Go Green

Just for the record, I'm in favour of saving the planet.

But only if I still get to have my toys. 

I know that sounds bad and I know it's a crisis and I know all these gadgets are full of plastic and rare-earth metals and they leave a massive carbon footprint - not just in the course of the manufacturing process but also once you start using them - assuming they use electricity which pretty much everything does.

But I didn't evolve over millions of years only to wind up living in a cave with no streaming services and no wireless earbuds.

Thankfully, many tech manufacturers have noticed how quickly we seem to be accelerating towards oblivion and are actively spending time, money and other resources on trying to do something about it.

If they say they're doing it but all the've really done is "set a goal they're working towards by a certain date" - that's greenwashing.

If they're actually changing the way they make things that's progress. And right now, that's Belkin.

When it comes to phone and computer accessories opt for cheap and nasty, over-the-top expensive and show-offy or choose something in the middle - which is why we so often end up going with a Belkin charger, cable or adapter.

Nobody ever felt ripped off buying a Belkin - although not usually the cheapest they're the kind of rock-solid products that prove the idiom, "You get what you pay for." In fact, in my experience, my usual vibe is, "They probably could have charged a bit more for that."

So you might be excused for thinking now Belkin has committed to a range of products made from at least 72% post-consumer recycled(PCR) plastics, they'd take the opportunity to hike prices a bit - if for no other reason than to simply cover the more expensive production costs of choosing the more environmentally-friendly path. But no; the RRP has stayed the same.

The USB-C to 4-Port USB-C Hub is a classic case in point - is NZ$85.00 too much to pay to instantly expand the meagre port selection of your Mac? Of course not - especially when the Belkin hub includes an up-to 100W PD port so you can keep your laptop charging while plugging in extra peripherals. As usual for Belkin, this hub just plugs in and works. My only criticism is its shiny surface - far too easily smudged and scratched which is crazy considering this is the kind of device you're likely to be chucking in and out of bags, satchels and briefcases. I've only been using it a week or so and it already looks battered and bruised - it isn't, it just looks like it is.

Why on earth doesn't it have a nice, scratch-resistant matte finish like the BoostCharge Power Bank 10K does? Other than its new, better for the planet composition, there's nothing overly remarkable about this Power Bank - other than it works very well indeed. It charges quickly, with a simple and subtle LED array to show you how much battery remains. You can connect up to three devices at once - via two USB-A or a USB-C port and impressively, although it doesn't really have the juice to power a bigger device like a laptop, when my MacBook threatened to go flat on me the other day I used the BoostCharge Power Bank to keep me going for another couple of hours. Pretty happy with that.

And I've been even more satisfied with the BoostCharge 30W Car Charger - perhaps the most simple and yet most elegant of these new Belkin PCR products. To begin with, it's about as low-profile as you can get for a car charger - not much bigger than the socket you put it into. It comes with a very durable USB-C to lightning cable which is interesting because I always thought iPhones weren't capable of charging at 30W. However, now I've actually tried it, it turns out yes, this little beastie will indeed juice up your Apple handset at a rate of knots - not to mention anything else you care to plug into it. I've tried other chargers that wouldn't run my wireless in-car charging cradle at all but that's no problem for this Belkin beauty. I love it.

It's not just the products themselves that have been given an enviro-makeover - they also now come in plastic-free packaging - recyclable cardboard boxes without the clear plastic windows and adhesive tape we might have seen in the past.

It would be easy to be skeptical about just how much better for the planet these products are, thanks to these relatively minor changes in manufacturing and a packaging but let's not forget, Belkin is a big company selling a lot of stuff in many markets around the world, so every slight improvement is likely to have a pretty major effect on its carbon footprint.

It certainly beats doing nothing, right? And all you have to do is choose their excellent products at the same, totally reasonable prices. Who said, "It's not easy being green?"

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Belkin Connect USB-C to 4-Port USB-C Hub.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Belkin BoostCharge Power Bank 10K.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Belkin BoostCharge 30W USB-C Car Charger.