Apple Highlights Use of Recyclable Plastics in New MacBook Air and Mac mini

[MacRumors]

Apple today shared environmental reports for the new MacBook Air and Mac mini, the first two Macs with 100 percent recycled aluminum enclosures.

The eco-friendly designs of the new MacBook Air and Mac mini extends beyond aluminum. The bottom cover and connector wall in the new Mac mini, for example, are made from 60 percent recycled plastic, while its fan contains 27 percent bio-based plastic made with renewable sources rather than petroleum.

Likewise, the vent and speakers in the new MacBook Air contain 35 percent and 45 percent recycled plastic respectively. The butterfly switches on the new MacBook Air's keyboard also contain 34 percent bio-based plastic, while the solder on the main logic board is made from 100 percent recycled tin.

Apple says the new Mac mini generates 45 percent fewer emissions than the previous-generation model, while the new MacBook Air generates 47 percent fewer emissions than the previous-generation model, each over a four-year lifespan.

Apple also says the new MacBook Air's packaging uses 87 percent less plastic than the previous-generation model's packaging.

Apple's ultimate goal is to use only recycled or renewable materials in its products, and source them responsibly, and it has certainly taken further steps forward with the latest MacBook Air and Mac mini.

Article Link: Apple Highlights Use of Recyclable Plastics in New MacBook Air and Mac mini

 

[unobtainium]

This is great. Glad they’re being so much less wasteful as a company. And now that phones and tablets last at least as long as laptops, consumers can stop being so wasteful too.

 

[Uridium]

What I would like to see is all the iMac rear housings that are currently scrapped being recycled. Thats a LOT of high spec ALU that gets thrown away!

 

[alphaod]

This is excellent as long as we don’t end up more easily damaged products.

 

[Morgenland]

Also in the upcoming Apple Face-ID Display?

The idea of the Apple Cinema Display has always been resource-friendly. I was able to use the same display for several generations of Mac Minis for a long time. That was honestly optimal use of material resources.

 

[RecentlyConverted]

Also in the upcoming Apple Face-ID Display?
View attachment 802453

The idea of the Apple Cinema Display has always been resource-friendly. I was able to use the same display for several generations of Mac Minis for a long time. That was honestly optimal use of material resources.

Material resource friendly maybe, but not energy wise.

Apple has never given us a way to turn off additional external monitors when not needed.

I have two Apple displays connected to my iMac, great for busy work periods, but I get cooked from the heat and can’t turn the two off when not needed vía software. I have to manually unplug their mains cables. Come on Apple, you must be able to sort this.

 

[macfacts]

Cheap plastic?

 

[now i see it]

What's kinda funny (that was mentioned in the keynote) is that the Mac mini is made from the shavings of the iPad Pro.

 

[adamjackson]

Did any one notice how large the new iPad Pro packaging is compared to previous years and how much padding was in there underneath seemingly for no reason?

 

[Naraxus]

If Apple truly wanted to make their products environmentally friendly they'd make it far far easier for customers to repair their own devices

 

[ignatius345]

The plastic in this model of Mac can be recycled later. That's cute.

Meanwhile the world is now using a million water bottles a minute.

 

[-BigMac-]

I played with a Macbook Air at Apple yesterday. I could feel the recycledness.

Fight against mediocrity. #NewMaterialsHaveRightsToo

 

[SBlue1]

Aluminium has the highest recycling rate of any metals processed world wide anyway with almost 70% as compared to the next two spots on the list with steel and copper at just above 40%. So it is very likely that my 2012 MacBook Pro consists of a former beer can and a wing part of a 1982 Boing 747.

 

[haydn!]

Cool. Then why do the prices suggest they’re mining the aluminium from the moon?

 

[jasonsmith_88]

Cool. Then why do the prices suggest they’re mining the aluminium from the moon?

Because recycling is and always has been more expensive than using raw materials.

Everything in this world boils down to money. If recyling were the cheapest option, we wouldn’t have such issues with waste.

 

[Petetastic]

Because recycling is and always has been more expensive than using raw materials.

Everything in this world boils down to money. If recyling were the cheapest option, we wouldn’t have such issues with waste.

My understanding is that recycling is a very energy-intensive process. We could charge for dispose of garbage to mitigate waste and put cost on par with recycling, but there’s a lot of logistical issues with that. We already have people hoarding junk.

 

[SBlue1]

Because recycling is and always has been more expensive than using raw materials.

Everything in this world boils down to money. If recyling were the cheapest option, we wouldn’t have such issues with waste.

Depends on the material. Aluminium is king. Processing recycled aluminum needs 95% less energy than what is needed to process the raw materials. Copper needs 85% less. Glass needs 70% less. Even recycled steel needs 35% less energy.

The problem is the logistics and education. People don't know the benefits of recycling thinking it does not save any energy or materials. It is hard in some parts of the world to recycle because there is no economic way to collect and bring the waste to a recycling facility.

 

[Googlyhead]

I'd like to see some figures on that 45% emission reduction, because I thought that the CPU (and PSU) were higher powered in this iteration.

There's previously been power draw figures published covering the evolution of the Mini, but there doesn't appear to be an updated version in using the 2018 models:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201897
Both the idle and max for the last few iterations are pretty frugal. If they've almost halved this; you could practically run the mini off a power bank!

Edit/add: that "4 year lifespan" statement - it's like they're trolling. Oh, the irony.

 

[Yvan256]

What's kinda funny (that was mentioned in the keynote) is that the Mac mini is made from the shavings of the iPad Pro.

That must what they meant when they said the next Mac mini would be "Pro". That and/or the space gray anodizing...
[doublepost=1541797710][/doublepost]

Edit/add: that "4 year lifespan" statement - it's like they're trolling. Oh, the irony.

It's more like a warning: "We hope you like the new 2018 Mac mini and the new 2018 MacBook Air, because the next update will be in 2022."

 

[ignatius345]

What's kinda funny (that was mentioned in the keynote) is that the Mac mini is made from the shavings of the iPad Pro.

That's a good metaphor for Apple's priorities these days. The Mac is getting the scraps from iOS.

 

[Dameatball]

This is absolutely comical and a total PR farce. Apple goes above and beyond to keep consumers from accessing/repairing their own devices specifically so they get thrown out (so we can buy new ones). The law suits and lobbying to fight against the right to repair is very well documented.

It wouldn't be so offensive if they owned it instead of spewing this hypocritical nonsense.

Apple today shared environmental reports for the new MacBook Air and Mac mini, the first two Macs with 100 percent recycled aluminum enclosures.

The eco-friendly designs of the new MacBook Air and Mac mini extends beyond aluminum. ​