Apple Announces Plans to Accelerate Use of Recycled Materials in New Products

[MacRumors]

Apple today announced a "major acceleration" of its work to expand the use of recycled materials in its devices.

By 2025, Apple now aims to ensure that:

• All Apple-designed batteries will use 100 percent recycled cobalt.
• Magnets used in Apple devices will be made with 100 percent recycled rare earth elements.
• All Apple-designed printed circuit boards will use 100 percent recycled gold plating and 100 percent recycled tin soldering.

The accelerated time frame comes thanks to a large number of changes the company made in recent years. For example, Apple's use of recycled materials for printed circuit boards was spearheaded by an exclusively recycled supply chain for gold in the plating of the main logic board for iPhone 13. Since then, it has increased the use of circuitry made with recycled materials in the iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and HomePod. In 2022, a quarter of all cobalt found in Apple products came from recycled material, up from 13 percent in 2021, paving the way for the transition to 100 percent recycled cobalt by 2025.

In 2022, around 20 percent of all material shipped in Apple devices came from renewable or recycled sources. The company said that the change brings it closer to the aim of eventually making all products using only recycled and renewable materials and advances its goal to make every product carbon neutral by 2030.

Apple also flagged that its Material Recovery Lab in Austin, Texas have started using AR video projected directly onto work surfaces to show recycling partners how to disassemble devices. In addition, the company said that by 2025 it will completely eliminate plastics from its packaging. Following the adoption of fibre alternatives to screen films, wraps, and foam, 96 percent of Apple packaging is plastic-free. The company says it is now working to replace the labels, lamination, varnish, and other "small uses" that make up the remaining 4 percent.

Article Link: Apple Announces Plans to Accelerate Use of Recycled Materials in New Products

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Very happy that Apple is doing this

I’m glad that Apple continues to innovate in regards to expanding these recycling efforts as well as improving upon efforts to mitigate climate change by reducing Apples’ suppliers’ carbon footprint to zero by 2030:

Apple Progressing Towards 2030 Goal of Having Carbon Neutral Supply Chain

Apple today announced that over 250 suppliers are committed to using renewable energy for all Apple production by 2030. Apple said its manufacturing...

www.macrumors.com

 

[TSE]

Tim Cook really taking initiative for a cleaner planet because of his values and love of the mankind. Amazing person running an amazing company.

 

[yanksfan114]

Pry off the batteries, then place them in the sand

 

[dmunz]

Pry off the batteries, then place them in the sand

Kind of wonder what that's all about...

FWIW
DLM

 

[Supermacguy]

Great news, I wish all companies could be even 1/2 as invested in resource recycling.

 

[BootsWalking]

This makes me feel better about my rapacious consumerism and buying things I don't need.

 

[one more]

Tim Cook really taking initiative for a cleaner planet because of his values and love of the mankind. Amazing person running an amazing company.

Either that or the fact that Apple stopped importing gold, tungsten & tantalum from Russia.

 

[Pecka]

But will it lower the prices?

 

[Crowbot]

But will it lower the prices?

This isn't a money saving move. It's a planet saving move.

 

[dwaltwhit]

This makes me feel better about my rapacious consumerism and buying things I don't need.

I can't tell if this is sarcasm or self-loathing. Either way. Yes.

 

[floral]

Apple making moves for the environment... I like it! It's good to know that old devices can be made into new ones... it makes me feel more happy about recycling my old stuff and happy about buying a device that doesn't harm the planet much as it would years ago.

 

[Pecka]

This isn't a money saving move. It's a planet saving move.

Recycling will probably be cheaper for Apple but they will keep the same prices.

They don't care about the planet, only money.

 

[Crowbot]

Recycling will probably be cheaper for Apple but they will keep the same prices.

They don't care about the planet, only money.

If they can keep the price the same but improve on recyclability I'm still in. If Apple didn't care at all it wouldn't do the recycling program at all.

 

[dwaltwhit]

But will it lower the prices?

Ultimately it does because they are using smaller and smaller amounts of scarce resources and more and more of resources that would be viewed as waste otherwise. Is it cheaper to mine cobalt or use recycled? I have no clue. If it is cheaper to mine, eventually it seems the efficiency of recycling will catch up to make up the difference, especially if the worlds most profitable company puts resources into the effort.

 

[Porco]

Many said that small phones and were never returning and nobody wants them …

But now your next iPhone could be made of Minis!!

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Tim Cook really taking initiative for a cleaner planet because of his values and love of the mankind. Amazing person running an amazing company.

OR...he ran the numbers and figured out their profit margin would increase if they used old parts to make new parts. I'm guessing I'm right.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

This isn't a money saving move. It's a planet saving move.

Don't be fooled. It's a money saving move for Apple and no...they won't lower prices on products made from recycled material. Their savings go right to their profits.

 

[Crowbot]

Don't be fooled. It's a money saving move for Apple and no...they won't lower prices on products made from recycled material. Their savings go right to their profits.

I'm not fooled. If using recycled parts is cheaper it's still recycling materials that would go into a dump. That's what I'm concerned about. Less about price.

 

[bLackjackj]

Anything to save money! These days, it's never about the environment but instead how can we save money and charge consumers more. Apples enviro unfriendly footprint is huge and just keeps getting bigger with every product and store. This all comes under a Marketing strategy.

 

[nattK]

Don't be fooled. It's a money saving move for Apple and no...they won't lower prices on products made from recycled material. Their savings go right to their profits.

Recycled products aren't necessarily cheaper just because they're being re-used. It's common for some recycled products to be more expensive due to the effort required to retrieve and process them so that they can be used again.

 

[oofio2461]

Apple should start reusing their old frame bodies for their iPhone's, they basically change the design every year so that most of the body is wasted when someone wants to recycle their old iPhone for a newer one.

 

[anthogag]

Apple’s desire to eventually use 100% recycled and reusable is excellence and one reason 👁️ like using Apple.

 

[RalfTheDog]

Either that or the fact that Apple stopped importing gold, tungsten & tantalum from Russia.

Why not both? Decreasing environmental cost is a good thing. Not sending money to fund a war of aggression against a liberal democracy is a good thing.

But will it lower the prices?

That's probably the least important factor.

I'm not fooled. If using recycled parts is cheaper it's still recycling materials that would go into a dump. That's what I'm concerned about. Less about price.

The cost of recycled material is dependent on how much stuff is sent in for recycling. It's a question of supply and demand. That said, I am far more concerned about the carbon released in manufacturing than I am about overflowing landfills. Recycling requires far less energy than mining and refining.

 

[Unami]

Good that they are doing this. I guess the main environmental impact of apple hardware is still production and shipping, so in reality only more robust, longer lasting, more repairable/upgradeable products will really reduce that - but it's a step in the right direction and more than most others do.