Review: ATP EarthDrive, the eco USB key

By SmartPlanet on 22 September 2008, 4:30pm

We like our green gadgets here at SmartPlanet, so I was intrigued to check out the environmental claims of this thumb drive. Its maker ATP sent me the $30 4GB version (it goes up to 8GB), which came wrapped in card. The normal retail version, however, is encased in a plastic blister pack which ain't very green or recyclable.

In use, it performs absolutely fine. The USB connector slides in and out easily enough, transfer speeds are roughly on a par with the two generic keys lying around my desk and it comes pre-loaded with a free copy of Carry It Easy (encryption and syncing software that usually costs €20). It's waterproof too. I just ran it under the kitchen tap, dried it and plugged it into my laptop; it's working right now.

So what about the eco claims? The big boast is that it's made from bioplastic -- effectively, corn -- rather than conventional oil-based plastic. Bioplastic isn't green by default, as Ecogeek recently pointed out. Unless ATP can show the EarthDrive has a smaller carbon footprint as a result, it's no greener than normal plastic.

Then there's the claim that it's the "world's first recyclable USB drive." ATP's site has no mention of how you recycle the EarthDrive when it reaches end-of-life. Here in the UK, bioplastic recycling facilities are low on the ground, which is partly why smoothie maker Innocent plumped for recycled plastic bottles rather than bioplastic ones.

I also have a modest gripe at the EarthDrive's blue LED light. It probably only sucks a zillionth of a watt in power, but it's just symbolically wrong on a product like this.

Finally, it's worth noting an undisclosed portion of profits from EarthDrive sales go to tree-planting and conservation non-profit American Forests. I think this is A Good Thing, though a more progressive choice of offsetting would be to give cash to an energy efficiency or renewable energy project.

As you can see, I'm not hugely convinced by the EarthDrive's green credentials. But at least its makers are trying, which is more than can be said for most USB key makers. For example, the biggest name in the game, Sandisk, has an incredibly woolly environmental commitment.

The 4GB EarthDrive's on sale for $30 (£16.25) at Costco in the US. In the UK, Futuregizmos.co.uk is stocking the 8GB version for £58.