Google won’t be selling a black-colored variant of its new Google TV-powered Chromecast because it’s not a good fit for its use of recycled materials, according to recent reports. More succinctly, the company indicates that, as part of its green initiatives, 49-percent of the new device isn’t new. It’s made from recycled plastic.
That’s not an entirely new step for the company since its other Nest and Pixel-branded gadgets have followed suit. For instance, as the source points out, Google builds with recycled plastics for the Nest Mini. And those are taken from recycled water bottles, CDs, and other materials.
The search giant hasn’t indicated where the plastics for the new Chromecast are sourced. But the decision to go green reduces the variety of colors the gadgets can be sold in. Or, at the very least, the number of colors that are reliably, readily available to work with. Namely, because dark-colored plastics are reportedly difficult to attain as far as recycled materials go.
As a result, the new recycled-plastic Chromecast from Google is available only in three colors and not black. Those are a white variant called “Snow,” a green-blue-tinted version dubbed “Sky,” and a coral pink “Sunrise” color configuration.
Could this ultimately impact other Google devices aside from Chromecast?
Now, as alluded to above, recycled goods have been an incredibly important part of Google’s green initiative. And that’s not just true for the Chromecast either. So the lack of a black color variation may not be limited there either in the future. The company has been looking to increase its use of recycled materials since at least mid-2019.
The eco-friendly initiatives have made appearances in everything from its workplace policies to its mobile phones, speakers, and mobile phone accessories. Because of that, it wouldn’t be surprising for Google to drop the use of dark-colored recycled plastics in phones. Or at least in its budget-friendly phones.
As a result, it may be the case that even the Google Pixel and Pixel a-series smartphones aren’t made available in black coloration for later devices.
Those aren’t the only reasons though
Additionally, Google is shifting its smart home products toward colorations that meld better with a home environment. And, in this case, users almost always leave the remote out. So the company wanted colors that would accent any home while remaining “approachable.”
Regardless, while black might work just as well for that, it’s also not an uncommon color for household surfaces. So it may be a blessing in disguise that Google didn’t choose a color that would almost immediately disappear once it’s put down on a table.