Apple Pulls Products from Environmental EPEAT Registry

[JohnDoe98]

Mmm. A couple of possibilities:

By using glue they can shave the odd millimetre from the size of the machine.

If you use screws then people will either attempt to replace the battery themselves or take it to some back street dealer and have it done cheap, which can lead to this:

http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/3602097/ao-2011-149_final.pdf

I like these reasons

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If only company X is able to recycle their own products then what happens if company X ends up going out of business (rather unlikely in this case), decides to stop recycling their old products, or changes their recycling process into something worse?

I'm not too worried of Apple going bankrupt or abandoning the recycling program for this generation of products.

What happens if a product from company X ends up at a recycling plant that can't disassemble those products?

The person who gets the product can then bring it home, send it to Apple, and get a gift card. Sounds like a lucky day to me.

 

[MuppetGate]

As per Apple's website:



Source:

http://www.apple.com/environment/

Nothing further, Your Honour.

 

[JohnDoe98]

So when Apple takes these back for recycling, do they give an evil laugh and chuck them in a landfill, or do they recycle them WITHOUT common tools?

If you believe Apple's claims on their website, they recycle over 70% of their products, compared to Dell and HP that do less than 20% each.

 

[AaronEdwards]

responsible recycling.
All e-waste collected by apple-controlled voluntary and regulatory programs worldwide is processed in the region in which it was collected. Nothing is shipped overseas for recycling or disposal. Our recyclers must comply with all applicable health and safety laws, and apple does not allow the use of prison labor at any stage of the recycling process. Nor do we allow the disposal of hazardous electronic waste in solid-waste landfills or incinerators.

Are these Apple's regions?
Applicable health and safety laws?
Would that be the health and safety laws in Puerto Rico?

 

[DanteMann]

Absolutely disgusting. Every company out there is out to make money. But in this day and age, it has never been more important for the big companies that sell massive number of units to be environmentally responsible. Considering Apple put themselves out there as a company that is environmentally friendly, this move is despicable. They've always been a company about form over function. Design at no cost. If it turns out that other companies can make thin laptops without losing EPEAT certification, then it will make this move all the more despicable. This company has no shame.

 

[JohnDoe98]

Are these Apple's regions?
Applicable health and safety laws?
Would that be the health and safety laws in Puerto Rico?

If the machine was handed in there, yes. You'd prefer they fly it to the US to recycle it? How much gas would that cost? I thought you cared about the environment. Perhaps you expect Apple to re-write Puerto Rico's legislation?

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Snip.

There's that pesky common-sense again.

 

[MuppetGate]

Absolutely disgusting.

Shocking!

Every company out there is out to make money.

Yes, the nerve of them! Providing career and employment opportunities for thousands of people. How dare they! Damn their eyes!

But in this day and age, it has never been more important for the big companies that sell massive number of units to be environmentally responsible.

Totally agree. 100%

Considering Apple put themselves out there as a company that is environmentally friendly, this move is despicable. They've always been a company about form over function. Design at no cost. If it turns out that other companies can make thin laptops without losing EPEAT certification, then it will make this move all the more despicable. This company has no shame.

EPEAT means that the machine should be designed to be recycled. EPEAT does not mean the machine will be recycled.

EPEAT does not encourage recycling by forcing its signees to offer incentives to encourage recycling.

The Apple scheme comes with an incentive and a damn good one: Recycle a PC and get free stuff from our most excellent range of trinkets and knickknacks.

And note that the incentive is for any machine of value; not just machines made by Apple.

The customer gets money off stuff. Apple gets a new customer. A machine gets properly recycled at Apple's expense.

 

[the8thark]

EPEAT certification requires certain standards that make the machines easy to disassemble and recycle using common tools.

*Stops wondering why Apple pulled products*

I have to agree here. No surprise really.

 

[HalfBlazed]

Rmbp

What sucks is that now that Steve has passed on, every misstep that Apple makes is looked at so much more critically, at least by me. Every time I read a post like this I'm like "Hmmmmmmm would Steve have done this?" "Is Cook gonna f$%k up Apple."


Anyone else going through this?

 

[AaronEdwards]

If the machine was handed in there, yes. You'd prefer they fly it to the US to recycle it? How much gas would that cost? I thought you cared about the environment. Perhaps you expect Apple to re-write Puerto Rico's legislation?

You seem to completely have misunderstood my comment.

Apple's declaration doesn't state that it is processed in the country in which it was collected. It states the region in which it was collected.

All e-waste collected by apple-controlled voluntary and regulatory programs worldwide is processed in the region in which it was collected.

Puerto Rico may be in the same region as the US, and so may Mexico too.

 

[Cubytus]

Apple can no longer fulfill that and people are arguing that it's not a problem since Apple is doing it themselves.

Being dependent upon only one company to do the recycling is probably what EPEAT precisely wants to avoid. This makes some sense, economically: if, for whatever reason, Apple couldn't do its recycling themselves, but found it cheaper to sub-contract it to Dell, the latter could do it with "common tools" (for the industry).

Doesn't have to be "common" for the laypeople, does it?

All Apple has to do is further advertise their recycling program. After all they give you a gift card when you return old products to them.

Please show me where the gift card is mentioned here: http://www.apple.com/ca/recycling/

 

[haravikk]

If the machine can be recycled by the average joe, then how do you know that the average joe will do it properly.

They don't necessarily have to be disassembling it themselves, my point was that glue doesn't make disassembly easier for anyone. Users are still far better off sending the whole thing to a proper recycling location; while Apple is good for providing access to such a service, it isn't suitable for everyone.

An end user could however want to be able to replace the battery themselves, outside of warranty, for the sake of doing it more quickly if they know what they're doing. While it's not a big use case, any difficulty in disassembly is going to waste time for someone down the line.

Mmm. I don't think I'd be comfortable with a laptop where the components weren't securely fastened down. Far too easy to damage.

Spacers in sensible case design wouldn't leave components loose; the point of them is to fill the gaps so things can't move around once the unit is closed, so long as the unit is held closed securely then everything would stay in place just fine. It's technically possible to build any computer securely with spacers that fit correctly, all you have to do is make sure the access hatch (case cover, laptop keyboard, backplate, whatever) is held down properly with some good screws, a latching mechanism or any of a number of methods.

Considering Apple is already getting themselves a load of custom components, and their machines aren't exactly budget products, then it seems silly that they'd opt for glue over just getting another custom piece to hold the batteries securely in place.

 

[IlluminatedSage]

Perhaps this is another case of Apple's designers ruling the roost over logic.

the logical thing to do is produce computers/devices which can be disassembled for repair/upgrade easily. Instead Apple is taking the approach to make it harder and harder.

now even macbook pro retina is difficult to upgrade, add ram and even repair a monitor.

Sorry, but am i the only one who things Apple is moving things in the wrong direction?

Environmental ratings are helpful, so is access to repair, upgrade and update your computers.

 

[MuppetGate]

Mmm. A couple of possibilities:

By using glue they can shave the odd millimetre from the size of the machine.

If you use screws then people will either attempt to replace the battery themselves or take it to some back street dealer and have it done cheap, which can lead to this:

http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/3602097/ao-2011-149_final.pdf

I absolutely love that I got down voted for posting an Australian Civil Aviation Authority Report on an iPhone that put a passenger plane at risk. So let me just post it again with a few extra highlights:

The technical examinations found that a small metal screw had been misplaced in the battery bay of the mobile telephone; the screw puncturing the battery casing and causing an internal short circuit leading to heating and thermal runaway. It was probable that the screw had been misplaced during an earlier repair carried out on the telephone. That repair had not been conducted by an authorised service provider.
This investigation highlights the risks associated with the use of non-authorised agents for the repair of lithium battery-powered devices, and reinforces the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) recommendations that these devices should be carried in the cabin and not in checked- in baggage.

So next year, when Tim Cook is asked why all Apple products have batteries glued in place, he can say:
"Because we don't want a Macbook Retina that has been incorrectly serviced at 'Honest Jack's BackStreet Battery Emporium' to bring down a fully-laden passenger flight."

 

[HelveticaRoman]

Great news for childless style lovers who have no moral obligation to the planet whatsoever.

 

[faroZ06]

Sorry, but am i the only one who things Apple is moving things in the wrong direction?

No, I also think that. They may make more money with this stuff, but I don't like the MBPR. I don't care too much about thickness, and I'd like it if there was just a normal 2009-styled MacBook Pro with a retina display. The lack of an ethernet port alone is a reason I would not buy.

 

[Phazotron]

Apple isn't a bank where making more money is their business.
.

Really? How long would Apple be in business, if they weren't making money? I recall a time when people were waiting for Apple Computer to go bankrupt. The point of every business is to make money...

 

[faroZ06]

What sucks is that now that Steve has passed on, every misstep that Apple makes is looked at so much more critically, at least by me. Every time I read a post like this I'm like "Hmmmmmmm would Steve have done this?" "Is Cook gonna f$%k up Apple."


Anyone else going through this?

The comment appears on about every article, and it's annoying.

 

[mabhatter]

Can't literally ripping a computer apart and smelting the metal be environmentally friendly?

Does recycle mean reuse in the standard? I got plenyt of old Dells that I can recycle but nobody would reuse their ancient parts. Actually most places want to charge me to recycle the,.

This all sounds like bureaucracy that Apple has already figured out a better way to deal with it?

Just wondering....

The MacBooks have far more percentage of recyclable material than the average Dell. It's kind of petty to argue because they use glue rather than making the thing larger to use screws.

I'd venture Apple is using "hot melt" type glue as well. They have to be able to replace batteries and such in stores. IFixit and such really haven't bothered to figure out what the case is and just toss out doom and gloom.

The PREMISE of the rating is the bigger problem. They assume that the used junk is going to be pulled apart by third world people with no training and no concern for their OWN environment. Practically, that is probably the case. Where workers will just smash the batteries and such to get the aluminum housing. A bin of unibody MacBooks would probably be worth disassembling correctly.. The value of the aluminum alone would be worth the labor.

Like somebody said, they don't rate tablets and phones... And the Macs are a decreasing share of their sales. Apple probably doesn't feel the need to be "certified" over glue vs screws when they lead the pack in product lifespan, energy usage, and recyclable materials.

 

[gnasher729]

Really? How long would Apple be in business, if they weren't making money? I recall a time when people were waiting for Apple Computer to go bankrupt. The point of every business is to make money...

If they lose a billion dollars every year, they will still be there in hundred years time.

Perhaps this is another case of Apple's designers ruling the roost over logic.

the logical thing to do is produce computers/devices which can be disassembled for repair/upgrade easily. Instead Apple is taking the approach to make it harder and harder.

now even macbook pro retina is difficult to upgrade, add ram and even repair a monitor.

The logical thing is to produce devices that last long. That have everything built in to make upgrades unnecessary for the foreseeable future. And that can be repaired easily by Apple. Wouldn't you think that Apple knows exactly how to remove a glued in battery? (I would imagine a little heater that applies just the right amount of heat to just the right places on the case. But that's just my idea that I come up with within two minutes, Apple probably has some better method. ) And you can't repair an LCD monitor, you replace it. Which is easy enough once you release, unlike the guys at iFixit or what it is called, that the glass cannot be taken off but is part of the LCD screen).

 

[MuppetGate]

Apple isn't a bank where making more money is their business.

If making more money isn't their business, what is?

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Wouldn't you think that Apple knows exactly how to remove a glued in battery? (I would imagine a little heater that applies just the right amount of heat to just the right places on the case. But that's just my idea that I come up with within two minutes

Probably something like that. Anyway, Apple can replace the battery on the Macbook Retina, so it clearly can be replaced – by them. And the old battery can be disposed of safely – by them.

 

[MNT]

You people need to have your heads examined. Seven pages of uninformed speculation and the only people who insert any factual reference into the conversation get downvoted. Whatever. Apple declining EPEAT certification has nothing to do with how recyclable their computers are. Period. End of story. But-but-but-- no. Nothing to do with how recyclable they are. Apple will recycle, for free, 100% of the Macs they sell as well as any PC you'd like to send them. If the machine has value to Apple, they'll send you a gift card in return. That's unmatched in the industry.

I'm willing to put money down that not one of you complaining about this is an industrial designer. You have no idea how products are built. You don't need to be one, though, to see that Apple obviously knows how to remove a glued-in battery; otherwise they wouldn't offer to replace them.

Welcome to the future, where your computer is a complex-enough feat of engineering that you are expected not to try to repair it yourself. Just like your car, your television, your toaster, your refrigerator, your cell phone...

 

[JohnDoe98]

Please show me where the gift card is mentioned here: http://www.apple.com/ca/recycling/

http://www.apple.com/recycling/gift-card/

 

[ProVideo]

When I was a kid in the early 90's I remember being taught to reduce, reuse, and recycle. There was Captain Planet and other shows telling us about the ozone and other environmental issues. It seems like the years around 1990-1992 were all about raising awareness to recycle and be greener.

Then by the mid-late 90's everyone forgot about that stuff and moved on . The only thing that somewhat stuck was recycling cans and plastic bottles. But even that wasn't being done at the White House, which ran on being environmentally conscious a few years earlier because of Al Gore as VP.

It seems like the green movement of the past several years is fading as well and will be another fad/trend like the one from the 1990's.

 

[MuppetGate]

Being dependent upon only one company to do the recycling is probably what EPEAT precisely wants to avoid. This makes some sense, economically: if, for whatever reason, Apple couldn't do its recycling themselves, but found it cheaper to sub-contract it to Dell, the latter could do it with "common tools" (for the industry).

Apple already subcontracts to other companies (they have to sign up to a code of conduct), but Apple can't make sure that stuff gets sent to those contractors unless that stuff is first sent to Apple.

Please show me where the gift card is mentioned here: http://www.apple.com/ca/recycling/

It's not mentioned there; it's mentioned here:

http://www.apple.com/recycling/

That looks like a pretty sweet deal to me.