Rakuten Kobo introduces the Kobo Clara 2E, a new sustainably-made e-reader made with 85 per cent recycled plastic.
Increasingly, reading books is becoming an activity of sorts reserved only for those who have good time-keeping skills or a still decent, pre-social media attention span. It’s even become nostalgic; craving the feel of paper and the unique smell of books is an actual thing experienced by some of those who used to have the luxury to do so.
It’s also about convenience and being appropriately done in the right time and space, as well as being more eco-conscious. Paper does come from a natural resource, so perhaps some just prefer to immerse themselves in the forests where the pages come from, skipping the books for this reason. But e-readers like Rakuten Kobo’s new Kobo Clara 2E makes the book reading experience more accessible without cutting on the environmentally conscious aspect — the 6-inch lightweight device is made with 85 per cent recycled plastic, with 10 per cent being ocean-bound plastic.
Kobo’s first fully waterproof reader marks the brand’s commitment to using certified recycled materials wherever feasible while meeting technical product requirements. They plan to divert more than 200,000 plastic bottles from our planet’s oceans and more than a million CDs and DVDs from landfills into their products over the year.
They are also committing to offset 100 per cent of the carbon emissions associated with direct shipments of its Kobo eReaders. Proceeds from the offsets will help to improve forest and marine management practices through Indigenous-led stewardship efforts, while also investing in the local community youth, Elder and Guardian Watchmen programs.
Equipped with a glare-free screen that has a Dark Mode and ComfortLight PRO with blue light reduction, readers can now enjoy late-night reading without letting the light-emitting of screens affect their sleep quality.
The pocket-sized reader has up to 60 minutes of water resistance in up to two metres of water. This means there’s no excuse to not read during beach holidays, rainforest treks or even in the bath. It’s a lot more convenient than paper books, especially if you are on the go a lot; this is a great way to fill up that commuting time, and with Bluetooth wireless technology, you can even listen to the audiobook versions to keep your hands free. All stored in a device with a generous 16GB capacity.
Protected by custom-designed SleepCovers that are also made from recycled materials, now available in Black, Deep Ocean Blue, Coral Reef Orange, and Sea Glass Green, the Kobo Clara 2E leaves you no choice but to never say that you don’t have time and place to enjoy reading again. It’s now a sustainable hobby made with sustainable materials — an activity that wholly feels good to do.
The Kobo Clara 2E is available online here. Once you are done with the story, click here to catch up with our October 2022 issue!